Cardfight Megami Tensei
by Master of The Wild Card
Summary: A demon pulls an unlikely young man into the world of Cardfight! Vanguard and gives him a deck tailored to fit his skills perfectly. Now he must join up with Team Q4 and co. to further hone his cardfighting skills while undertaking his own mission. And if that weren't enough, now he has to become a Devil Summoner and compete for the right to be King of Demons.
1. Opening 1

**[Play "Clattanoia" by OxT]**

 ** _Kotae wa doko e sagashite where's my soul?_**  
 _[ Where does the answer lead? Seek it out! Where's my soul? ]_

= As the song begins, a hand is seen stretching forward and grasping at air in a black space filled with bright stars flying past its owner. The shot then pulls back and around, revealing Kazuya, now looking towards the reader with an expression of annoyance and distaste. The title "Shin Megami Tensei: Vanguard" is then shown as everything else vanishes from sight.

 _ **It's like a fear warui yume no you de mezamete mo all I've got is bones**_  
 _[ It's like a fear, a sweet dream - wandering. But when I wake up, all I've got is bones. ]_

= Kazuya is shown as he walks past Card Capital and Misaki steps outside not long after. As she walks a few paces behind him, Louisa appears next to Kazuya, who simply pays the both of them no mind as he thinks to himself.

 ** _I'm in a panic? Get out, hurry! Oh, there are mysteries and miseries_**

= Daichi is shown next inside Card Capital as he energetically Rides _Jeweled Demon Duel Dragon, Red Daemons Dragon_. As he plays his card, flames suddenly surround him and his unit can be seen rising up in the background while roaring proudly.

 ** _Dead or alive hazama ni yurarete samayoeba right to left to hell_**  
 _[ Dead or alive, swaying at the brink as I roam right to left to hell. ]_

= The scene shifts once more, showing Kaoru as he walks calmly through a park in the city. He plucks a rose from the ground and takes in the scent of the flower while smiling in content. At the same time, an apparition of his avatar, _Maiden of Trailing Rose_ , appears behind him.

 _ **Ronri no shoutai emo no shoutai odoru 1, 2, 3 steps on this dark stage**_  
 _[ A lonely invitation… the disappearance of emotion…gonna dance 1, 2, 3 steps on this dark stage. ]_

= Amane is shown next, fighting a group of demons at night along with several members of the Shomonkai. As she appears to get cornered, her eyes flash with a golden light and she quickly unleashes a burst of magic from her hands.

 ** _Raise your flag, march on, fight kamen no fuchi e te o kakedo tada hone ga naru nomi_**  
 _[ Raise your flag, march on, fight; I reach my hand toward this mask, but all it does is rattle my bones! ]_

= Kazuya is then shown walking through a black void as large apparitions of Aichi, Kamui, Kai, Misaki, Morikawa, Izaki, Miwa, Reiji, Eiji, and Emi all appear in groups as the shot pans to show Kazuya's disinterested expression from the side.

 _ **Wars and swords, tears and blood afuru chikara ga fui ni warai dashita**_  
 _[ Wars and swords, tears and blood; from the rising power within me, I burst into laughter! ]_

= Kurogasa leans back against the wall of an alleyway as he holds up the card for _Postmaster General, Michael_. The shot then zooms out to show the sidewalk as Keima walks past the alley, his eyes meeting with Kurogasa's.

 **Kotae wa doko e sagashite Where's my soul? Where's my heart? Riaru ni nomareteku**  
 _[ Where does the answer lead? Seek it out! Where's my soul? Where's my heart? I'm getting pulled into this reality. ]_

= On Cray, the astral bodies for the members of Teams Q4 and Nocturne are each shown transforming into their signature units and unleashing their attacks.

 _ **Don't hesitate, go this way**_

= Aichi having transformed into _Blaster Blade_ and Kazuya having transformed into _Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune_ lead the charge, cutting down enemy after enemy that stands in their way.

 _ **Wakaranai kamawanai magai mono furuttemo**_  
 _[ I don't understand, but I don't care - even if I have to put on a show! ]_

= The scene changes abruptly, showing that the streets of Hitsue are in total ruin from a large-scale battle. As Kazuya stands amidst the blazes caused by the destruction, Misaki is also shown as she tries desperately to reach out to Kazuya as the flames continue to spread.

 _ **Tada kono sekai o ikinuke yo**_  
 _[ I'll just keep surviving in this world! ]_

= Ignoring Misaki behind him, Kazuya takes slow but confident steps forward, shooting a glance out towards the horizon as the sun peaks up in preparation for a new day.

 _ **Aa nakushita kanashimi ga mata uzuiteku... Misery-World**_  
 _[ Ah, the sorrow from what we lost comes throbbing forth again… Misery-World. ]_

= Kazuya stops in the middle of a large intersection, now devoid of people in the wake of the battle, where the destruction appears to be the worst. He looks up towards the sky as the sun begins to rise once more, a look of boredom and apathy on his face. The shot then moves in on Kazuya's face as the song comes to a close, showing his eyes as they flash with a deep crimson glow and a twisted smirk crosses his lips.


	2. Vanguard of Destiny

**Shin Megami Tensei: Vanguard - War of Demons**

 **Grade 1**

 **Stand Up! Vanguard!**

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone, Master of the Wild Card here for a new side project. And of course, being a Cardfight! Vanguard story, I have a self-made deck for my protagonist. Go figure, right? HOWEVER! I'm not doing Persona this time for the crossover. Now I'm going to branch out and do the Megaten series as a whole.**_

 _ **T-That's branching out… right guys?**_

 _ **… Anyways, as always I don't have much to say at the start, so I'll just let you get to the story once I give a few extra notes.**_

 _ **For starters, I'll be showing the state of the fights in a similar manner to both Fenikkusumaru and Digidramon, with minor alterations.**_

 **Player A**  
 **Back Row -** (RC) (RC) (RC)  
 **Front Row -** (RC) **| (VC) |** (RC)  
 **Hand -** X  
 **Damage -** X

 **Player A**  
 ** **Front Row -** ** (RC) **| (VC) |** (RC)  
 **Back Row -** (RC) (RC) (RC)  
 **Hand -** X  
 **Damage -** X

([U] = unflipped, [F] = flipped)

 _ **I'll also be showing off damage checks and drive checks, of course. And then simply because it'll be more important later on anyhow, I'll also show off Soul Charges.**_

 _ **Also, in contrast to my other stuff, this is gonna be a Self Insert story, so things will get crazy as we delve into my mind. That said… everyone, prepare your anal passageways.**_

 _ **And lastly, I'd like to thank Fenikkusumaru for helping with the cardfight for this chapter since I'm still trying to get the hang of writing them out.**_

 _ **Now… I have one more thing to say.**_

 _ **Get ready for callbacks to SMT. Lots and lots of callbacks.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard (the anime or the TCG) or the Megami Tensei franchise. All creative rights go to their respective owners, Bushiroad and Atlus.**

* * *

I opened my eyes to take in my new surroundings.

All around me was nothing but an expanse of grey clouds. Nothing else other than myself seemed to exist within this void, and as I looked around, I heard a loud, booming voice speak up from seemingly everywhere at once.

 _ **"Who are you…? State your name!"**_

I blinked while registering what the voice had asked of me. Not sure what to make of it other than I've probably been playing too many RPG's lately, but since I'm dreaming, I might as well go with it.

"Matthew Palmer."

Silence. And then...

 ** _"Hahaha! He has spoken! Your life is now irrevocably changed. The choices you make will no longer bear only on you. What you do... will create a world…"_**

Uh, I'm sorry what? 'Creating a world'?

And no sooner than the voice had stopped speaking, I was looking down at my feet to see a freakin' huge vortex opening up and pulling me in against my will. I instinctively reached a hand upwards, but that turned up jack all in the way of results. With that, darkness rose up all around me as I fell in.

* * *

When I could see again, I was in an entirely different environment. I now stood in a large city, though it was only that in appearance. All around me, I saw fires, broken or abandoned cars, debris, and any other things that would give the appearance of your typical post-apocalyptic city. The sky above was filled with dark clouds, further enhancing the grim atmosphere the city gave off.

 ** _"Oh, so there you are. Hey, over here... "_**

I turned around to see a glimmer of light off in the distance. Focusing on that one point, I was able to see the white outline of a person inside the odd light. Out of curiosity and partially to respond to the voice, I ran over to where I saw the glimmering silhouette.

 ** _"You finally made it. Now I can take shape too…"_**

With that, a flash of light flooded the street as the white silhouette took on a new form. Now standing there in front of me was a much more detailed outline of a young man, granted I still couldn't really make out much due to some abnormal darkness obscuring most of his physical features. The young man was wearing a white turtleneck shirt, short dark red jacket, grey pants, and white sneakers.

 _ **"I was fighting damn hard when I waited for you to show up. You do remember me, right? That's right... I'm Keima. Whatever happens after this, you'd better not forget me. Because you and me are gonna make a world where anything can be changed if you have the will…"**_

* * *

After 'Keima' finished speaking, another flash of light obscured my vision for a few moments before I was somewhere else entirely. Great. Thanks for that, dream.

Now I was standing in a massive desert, with the setting sun making everything around me, aka sand, take on a bright golden orange color. Up ahead, I could see a large chunk of what looked like a building half-buried in the sand on its side. Standing in front of it was another white silhouette outlined by a glimmering light.

 ** _"...Great you're here. Please, come quick."_**

Once more, I was morbidly curious, and ended up walking towards the voice, which had come from the white silhouette. I know this is supposed to be a dream, but I'll be damned if it wasn't appealing to my RPG side. Once I was within a few feet of the speaker, I stopped and waited for him to talk again.

 ** _"Good, you're here. Now I can take shape too."_**

Once again a flash of light gave way to the silhouette's true appearance, or at least as much as my strange dream would allow. Because why just show me the guy, right? Anyways, the silhouette turned out to be another young man, with a lot of his physical features obscured by an abnormal shadow blanketing his face, but I was able to tell what he wore; a silver jacket, gold dress shirt, light blue jeans, and black shoes.

Well at least he knows how to be stylish.

 _ **"I was hoping you'd come. You remember who I am, right? Yeah, that's right... My name is Kurogasa."**_

Kurogasa? Isn't that supposed to be Japanese for "black hat'? Who the hell would name their kid that?

 ** _"Don't forget that my future is riding on you. The two of us are gonna make a world where the peace we know today lasts forever…"_**

Okay seriously, what's up with all this stuff in my dream? It all sounds eerily familiar.

For the third time in a row I was being blinded by a flash of light from nowhere, leaving me disoriented again.

* * *

Alright, where am I now? Doesn't look much better than that place I was before with Black Hat boy.

This time, I stood in a barren, rocky landscape with a twilight sky dotted by the occasional cloud overhead. In the distance I think there was actually a range of mountains, and not too far from me there was another white silhouette outlined in a pale glow.

 ** _"Oh, hey. I'm over here."_**

Huh? So it's a girl this time? That definitely sounded like a girl.

Again I ended up walking in the direction of the silhouette. You know the drill. Soon as I stopped in front of her, a flash of light showed off her true appearance and my suspicions were proven right. Standing in front of me was a girl just under my height, and while her features were hidden by shadows, her outfit consisted of what appeared to be some type of dark-colored school uniform.

Still don't get it, but hey it's variation, so I'll take it.

 ** _"Thanks for helping me take shape. I had a feeling you'd show up. You remember me, right? Yeah… My name is Misaki."_**

Misaki… Where have I heard that name before…?

… Also, why have the people I've been meeting in my dream all been Japanese? I just now realized that.

 ** _"I hope we can meet again, because together, you and I will work to maintain the balance of this world…"_**

Interesting proposition.

Now of course I _would have liked_ to voice my questions, but of course… the stupid dream wouldn't let me, because another flash of light blinded me, but this time around I just felt right tired.

* * *

"-att. Hey, Matt!"

I jolted awake in response to the sudden whap on the back of my head. I blinked to get rid of the grog and saw my best friend Guillermo, deducing he was the one that hit me just now.

"What's up?" I asked. Then I remembered where we were. "Did they announce the next round?" Guillermo nodded and we both stood from the table we were seated at just as one of the tournament hosts stepped up and got everyone's attention.

I guess first off I should explain some stuff, huh?

Well for starters, my name's Matthew Palmer. I'm 19, fresh outta high school and not intending to go to college just yet. For now I'm taking a gap year just to chill. As far as what I look like I'm around 5'8" last I checked, and caucasian. I'm not what you'd call fat, but I'm still chubby; that coupled with my buzzed dirty blonde hair and the square, thin-rimmed glasses made me look damn well like the type of guy I actually am. I'm a gamer by trade and I'm very much into anime, so much so that I decided to take Japanese classes during high school out of genuine desire to learn the language. At the moment I'm wearing a black long-sleeved collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up past my elbows, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers.

Currently myself and Guillermo were competing in a Cardfight! Vanguard tournament held at our local card shop. The tourneys are never very big as you'd expect; only upwards of 20 people normally sign up each time, but the shop does Swiss-style brackets with all their events, so success was determined solely by win-loss ratios. Ever since the release of the Vanguard G cards, you had to be relentless against your opponent to win; and with my newest deck, that was currently in my favor. What deck is this, you ask? It's a replica of Toshiki Kai's Kagero deck from the G anime, focusing heavily on Dragonic Overlord. Of course there are additions and changes to the deck, typical of any character deck.

"Matthew vs. Louisa…"

After hearing my name called along with my opponent, I stood and nodded to Guillermo before walking off to find my next opponent. Not gonna lie, I was pretty surprised that my opponent was a girl since, at most, only one or two girls ever enter these tournaments. Just as I was about to call out the name of my target, I heard someone speak up just to my left.

"Excuse me..."

I turned to see a girl at least a year younger than me with blue eyes and long blonde hair that cascaded down her back with some draped over her shoulders; she wore a simple light blue dress and a pair of black, calf-length heeled boots. The girl was looking straight at me, so I was likely the one she was addressing.

Quickly realizing I'd been staring for too long, I blinked and turned to face her.

"Are you Matthew?" she asked in a voice that practically oozed sociability.

"Then you must be Louisa." I responded, surprised someone with her looks was competing in this kind of tournament.

Louisa smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you. Let's have a fun match."

After that, the blonde girl walked away to go to the other side of the table we'd migrated to; the entire time though I was really put off by her overall friendliness. It's been like that most of my life ever since I started middle school; I just sort of turned into this stoic prick that doesn't talk or socialize much and, in general, just doesn't care about a whole lot. I mean I have friends but even then I'm pretty damn quiet. So to interact with someone like this Louisa chick who's practically my polar opposite is really awkward.

Louisa and I sat down and pulled out our decks to start setting up. After we shuffled and cut each other's decks Louisa pulled out a die and held it up.

"High roll or low roll?" she asked.

"High," I shrugged while pushing up my glasses with my middle and forefingers, a little habit of mine. Louisa tossed the die onto the table; it tumbled along for a few seconds before stopping with the three facing up.

"That's three for me." she said before I picked up the die and let it roll from my palm onto the table, eventually stopping on six. "And looks like you get it." Louisa smiled as we each took our starting Vanguards and placed them down on the table.

"Then I guess I'm up first." I said as we each reached out to draw our starting hand. After deciding we didn't want to mulligan anything we both reached out to our starting Vanguards. However, the minute I touched the card on my field, the store, which is normally filled with all kinds of chatter, went dead quiet. "Wait, the hell…?" I looked around me to find that everything other than myself was frozen completely in place.

"Matthew Palmer…" I heard a voice speak up. Turning back to the table, I saw Louisa was unaffected by… whatever the hell is going on here like I was.

"The hell is this?" I questioned, thinking she'd know something even though I figured those odds were very low.

"I wish to request your assistance." the blonde girl answered.

"Assistance?" I repeated. "What's this all about?"

"Humanity is on the verge of destruction and you're the only one with the power to save it."

I crossed my arms and stared at the girl before me skeptically. "Is that right? And why exactly do you need me to help you? There's hundreds - no, thousands of other people you could be asking. So why me?" I questioned.

"Your ability to cardfight…" Louisa answered plainly.

"My cardfighting? Oh really?" I asked sarcastically. "Now I know you're trying to screw with me. I'm a rookie player at best that plays casually. I'm far from skilled at this game."

"You only think that because you don't have your deck." Louisa pointed out.

"'My' deck my ass." I retorted. "The deck I have now is perfectly fine. I haven't lost a single game since I built this thing."

"But it's not meant for you. I can give you your true deck, but in exchange you can't go back to the life you know now." was Louisa's response.

So this chick plans to do whatever the hell she wants with me and has no desire to let me leave afterwards. Great. Just. Friggin'. Great. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. So what the hell do I chalk this up to?

Insanity? Okay, but how do I explain time being frozen?

Eighth-grader syndrome? An entertaining thought, sure, but doesn't explain time being frozen.

A god? Would explain time being frozen but I'm not religious in the slightest.

Well either way I can figure this girl isn't normal, in whatever sense that may end up being. She's clearly the one that stopped the world dead in its tracks since she's the only other one moving right now, so that's something.

"You won't let me say no will you?" I asked.

"No." She said while smiling in that same friendly manner, though now it was just unsettling.

"And if I were to just stand up and walk off?"

"Let's hope you can run. Very fast."

Well alright, so no leaving the store then.

"Fine. To hell with it. Not like I have a choice." I sighed. "But how exactly are you planning to give me 'my' deck?"

"Simple. I'll make one from your psyche." Louisa replied with that same smile that was suddenly back to off-putting after I agreed to her deal. "Oh, I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? My name's Louisa Ferre."

 _'Louisa Ferre… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere.'_ I thought to myself before I realized the blonde was gone. "Oh god dam-"

And a split second later I was out cold.

* * *

When I came to, the first thing I saw was tiling. I pushed myself up and rubbed my aching forehead, only to find my glasses were missing. Looking around, I found them lying on the floor next to me and picked them up to place them back on my face. Though no sooner than I did that I had to do a double take because everything looked blurry as hell with my glasses on. Slipping them off, everything looked perfectly clear and sharp, as if I'd never needed the things in the first place.

 _'I guess whatever she needed me to do required my eyesight to be at its best.'_ I reasoned in my head as I looked around at my surroundings, revealing I was standing just inside a side corridor of some sort of mall I didn't recognize. People walked by on occasion but paid very little attention to me for some reason.

Oh, that reminds me.

"Louisa, where the hell are you?!" I yelled. "You have a lot of explaining to do!"

"No need to be so cranky." I jumped as I turned around to see Louisa standing there casually.

"Where the hell are we right now? Why are we in a shopping mall? And not that I'm complaining, but what's this task of yours that requires my piss-poor eyesight to be corrected to perfection?" I bombarded her with questions, expecting her to answer them all at once.

"Well first of all, I did more than just correct your eyesight." the blonde informed me, prompting me to raise a brow. "Take a look for yourself." Even more confused, I did as she suggested and looked down at myself. For starters, my clothes were different. I was now wearing a dark blue short-sleeved shirt under a white vest with black pants and black shoes. The digital watch I normally wore on my wrist was now replaced by a normal one with a golden body and the band made of dark brown leather.

But then of course it took a few seconds for my brain to register something far more important.

I'm no longer fat! Yes!

I can jump!

I can run for more than a minute at a time!

I can see my feet!

I no longer cause earthquakes when I walk!

After recovering from my joy at no longer being blubbery, I rubbed my scalp for good measure. Good, my hair is still buzzed... We'd have some serious problems otherwise.

"What the hell is all this? Wha- How did-?" I said while looking my new body over. I then looked Louisa in the eyes. "What the bloody hell are you?"

"Well don't you just like to get to the point?" she retorted with a giggle. "But to answer your question, I'm a high-ranking demon here in this world."

"A high-ranking… demon?" I repeated. "So demons are real then…"

"That's right."

Sweet.

"Okay… So what's with the new getup?" I queried.

"Oh, that. It's so you can blend in better here." she replied.

"Blend in?" I wondered. "But that doesn't make any…" At that moment I happened to glance up and saw a sign with an arrow pointing down the corridor we now stood in. The letters, or I guess word "PSY" was printed on it in large bold letters.

Oh.

Oh…

Ooooooohhhh!

I get it.

"... You dropped me in _Cardfight! Vanguard_ , didn't you?"

"Good, so you do know where we are." Yep. Nailed it.

"Alright, so what about this 'true' deck you were going on about?" I asked.

"Check your belt." Louisa answered. Doing just that, I found a box attached to my belt that, when I opened it up, contained a full deck of Vanguard cards. Right away I noticed I could read the Japanese print on the cards flawlessly, despite only having about a year's worth of formal education in the language. I chalked that up to Louisa's work, however.

"So this is my deck…" I muttered as I turned the top card over, only to widen my eyes in shock. "Wha… What the hell?!"

"Hm?" was Louisa's response.

" _Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune_?" I read the card's name aloud before reading its effects. I then began flipping through other cards, reading their names and effects as well. " _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_ … _Ice Spirit, Jack Frost_ … _Maiden of Songs, Sarasvati_ …" While I would have thought it was just a coincidence at first, the distinctive artwork of the cards quickly erased all doubts in my mind. Even the name of the clan itself was too big a clue for me to dismiss. "These cards… You made them from my memories of a video game called Shin Megami Tensei…!"

"Then that's what it's called…" the demon girl muttered, though I definitely heard her yet didn't bother pushing it.

"Well then... " I began as I looked towards the sign I had spotted earlier. "If we're here, we might as well go in so I can test this deck."

"Hm?" Louisa wondered as I started walking down the corridor.

"This place here," I pointed to the sign that pointed down the corridor to the left with my thumb. "It's a card shop. And it's the perfect place for me to get accustomed to these cards. After all, no use having them if I don't know how they work, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." the demon girl figured as she hurried to catch up with me.

* * *

"Oh? What's this?" One woman noticed. She had short cyan hair and wore a blue blouse with a yellow scarf around her neck, blue pants, and blue sandals. She looked intently at the monitor in her lap, finding a young man and woman she had never seen before walking towards the doors to PSY.

"What? What is it?" Came the chirp of a second, more youthful voice. The girl in question had long, bright orange hair tied into a pair of curly twintails by a pair of red ribbons. She wore a red shirt and a short, dark red skirt, along with red platform shoes.

"There's a couple of customers headed here…" A third woman added. She was noticeably older than the orange-haired girl but also younger than the girl watching the screen. She sported long blonde hair tied up on one side, and wore white Chinese-styled clothing and matching white sandals.

"And it looks like that one there also has an interesting air about him, like the other boy that came here not too long ago." The eldest one commented, gesturing to the brown-haired cardfighter.

"Oh, and he's a cute one too!" The youngest girl squealed.

"Rekka..." The second-eldest sighed.

"What? I'm just saying, Kourin." The youngest of the three, Rekka, added.

"Anyway, should we test him Suiko?" The blonde girl, Kourin, questioned.

"Alright, let's not just rush into this blindly." The eldest of the three, Suiko, pointed out. "But you're right. There's something special about him, I can tell."

* * *

"Hello? Is anybody in here?" I called as the two of us walked into the strange shop. The first thing that I noticed was the odd-looking structures that seemed to serve as display units, with each one holding a single Vanguard card within them suspended in midair.

"What a weird shop… the place is empty." Louisa commented.

"Hey there! Welcome to Card Shop PSY!" An undeniably cheery voice greeted.

I turned my head just in time to notice three girls walking out from behind a curtain on the far wall as the eldest of them smiled. "Card Shop PSY?" I repeated, feigning ignorance of the situation.

"That's right. And I suppose you could say you're right on time." Suiko spoke up.

"Yeah, we've been expecting you!" Rekka added.

"I'm sorry… huh?" Louisa blinked in confusion, turning to the three girls. "You've been 'expecting' us?"

"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?" Kourin asked flatly with a glare.

"Ah, no, we don't." I added quickly. Then in a hushed voice I added in Louisa's ear, "Leave the talking to me."

"Anyways, I believe you came here for a cardfight, right?" Suiko asked.

"Well, yeah…" I replied, once again feigning ignorance. "Wait a minute, how did you–"

"We heard you as you came in…" Kourin explained.

"I see…"

"Well then, follow us and we can give you the cardfight you wanted." Suiko said.

"Try to keep up!" Rekka said, before running back through the curtain.

With that, we followed Suiko and Kourin through the curtain. When we emerged on the other side, there was a very spacious room. In the middle was a large rectangular machine. Both ends sported a replica of the game board while the center was closed off by a pane of glass that encompassed the remaining space.

 _'Never thought I'd see one of these for real…'_ I thought.

"This is where you'll play." Suiko explained.

"It's the Motion Figure System." Rekka chimed in, but then paused. "Well I'd hate to spoil what it can do before you use it for yourself."

"Can we get this cardfight started already?" Kourin asked in apparent annoyance.

"Yeah, I wanna see what you're made of!" Rekka said, directing her statement at me.

"Me?" I responded. "I mean, I've nothing special. I'm just an amateur."

"That's fine." Suiko said. "All the more interesting to watch."

I took a place on one end of the Motion Figure System. "So how does this work...?" I wondered while inspecting it. Without hardly even touching the surface of the contraption, it suddenly came to life, causing me to jump back in surprise. "H-Huh?"

"Don't worry." Suiko assured. "That's what the machine is supposed to do."

"I see." I nodded. "Alright. So then… who's my opponent?"

Kourin approached and said, "That'll be me."

"Don't believe I caught your name."

"That's because I never gave it." she answered plainly. "It's Kourin. And you?"

"I'm…" I trailed off before a plan came to my mind. "I'm Minegishi Kazuya. I'm new around town. And the girl over there is my friend Louisa." Louisa glared at me briefly as if to question what the hell I was doing, but I simply nodded, getting her to relent after a moment.

"Oh! I'm Rekka and this is my sister Suiko!" Rekka chirped, before gesturing to the eldest sister.

Kourin and I placed our initial Vanguard onto the field and shuffled our decks before placing them down. 'Alright, I have only a vague idea of how these things work based on what I read, so let's hope for the best...'

"Whenever you're ready," Kourin said.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"STAND UP, VANGUARD!"

Kourin and I then stood our Vanguards.

Seconds later, the space within the glass-bound box glowed radiantly, until eventually, the scenery of a barren wasteland underneath a sky filled with planets and stars formed between them. A white-garbed girl with red hair tied into buns appeared from a red light on the ground, carrying a trumpet in her hand.

Standing opposite the girl a ways away was a warrior with long silver hair covered from the neck down in sleek green armor with black gloves, black boots, and a white cape, and carrying a silver spear in his right hand.

" _Stardust Trumpeter_!"

" _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_!"

 **[Stardust Trumpeter - 6000 Power]**

 **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

"Hm?" Kourin wondered, seemingly intrigued by my unit.

"That's a new one. I've never seen that card before." Rekka commented.

"Neither have I." Suiko added. "I wonder… what clan is he using?"

I turned to the youngest and eldest sisters, having heard the question. "Hm? Oh, it's the Megaten clan." All three girls silently gasped and made their best attempts to hide the obvious surprise they felt as they stared at the unit on my field again. Though they apparently didn't realize I had noticed.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, finding the three girls' silence to be odd.

"It's nothing. I'll start, if you don't mind." Kourin answered as she drew her sixth card. "I Ride _Flash Shield, Iseult_!"

 _Stardust Trumpeter_ glowed and changed form, morphing into a tan skinned woman with green eyes and short, white hair with bangs framing her face. The new unit wore a light blue head crest, a white and navy blue corset, short navy blue shorts, purple stockings, and light blue leg armor. Her arms were covered by huge light blue gauntlets with a huge shield attached to her right gauntlet. **[Flash Shield, Iseult - 6000 Power]**

"I'll end my turn there." Kourin finished.

 **Kourin**  
 **Back Row -** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Front Row -** Empty **| Flash Shield, Iseult |** Empty  
 **Hand -** 5  
 **Damage -** None

 **Matthew**  
 **Front Row -** Empty **| Fairy Knight, Tam Lin |** Empty  
 **Back Row -** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand -** 5  
 **Damage -** None

"Alright then. Draw!" I said, drawing my sixth card. I then took another one from my hand and slapped it on top of _Tam Lin_. "I Ride _Ice Spirit, Jack Frost_!"

My armored warrior was soon replaced by a small pudgy white creature resembling a snowman. The creature wore nothing but a blue jester cap, blue collar, and blue slippers, while a wide smile was plastered onto his face. **[Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - 6000 Power]**

" _Tam Lin_ moves back with his skill." I added as I took _Tam Lin_ from the soul and placed it in the back row to the left of _Jack Frost_.

Once again, the green-armored man appeared behind _Jack Frost_. **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

"Then I call _Lost Soul, Pyro Jack_ and _Horseman of Conquest, White Rider_!"

Appearing on either side of the snowman were a pair of figures. One of them was a black cloak with seemingly no body to accompany it other than the jack-o-lantern that sat on top, with a black pointed hat to boot. A pair of white gloves acted as the creature's 'hands', and one of them carried a simple lantern. The other unit was a skeletal figure riding on top of a white horse covered in small eyes. The rider wore a gold crown atop his head and was covered from the neck down by a tattered black cloak. In his right hand the rider carried a large longbow. **[Lost Soul, Pyro Jack - 7000 Power] [Horseman of Conquest, White Rider - 7000 Power]**

'Alright… let's give it a shot.' I thought. " _Jack Frost_ , _Pyro Jack_... Change!"

"Huh?" The three girls asked, simultaneously confused and surprised.

"The specialty of this clan. Once during my turn, so long as I have two or more rear-guards, I can choose my Vanguard and another of my units and switch their positions!" I explained while placing _Pyro Jack_ on the Vanguard Circle and moving _Jack Frost_ to _Pyro Jack's_ former Rear-Guard Circle. "However, my old Vanguard will be rested once in the Rear-Guard."

The two units broke apart into bits of greenish data before reforming on the battlefield with their positions swapped.

"Whoa, that's cool!" Rekka said in excitement.

"Yes… I never knew such a skill existed." Suiko added.

" _Jack Frost's_ skill!" I continued. "When he Changes, I can Soul Charge one, then draw a card." I did just that, placing the top card of my deck into the soul while drawing another.

 **[Soul Charge - Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth - No Trigger]**

"And next, _Pyro Jack's_ skill. When he Changes, I can Soul Blast one to draw another card." Once again, I did as the skill instructed, though this time I simply took _Thoth's_ card in the soul and placed it in the Drop Zone before drawing once more to increase my hand back to five.

"His hand increased again." Kourin said to herself.

" _Pyro Jack_ attacks your Vanguard!" I declared, turning my Vanguard sideways.

"No guard."

"Drive Trigger, check." I said, revealing the card on top of my deck.

 **[Drive Check - Horseman of Famine, Black Rider - No Trigger]**

The pumpkin-headed demon raised his lantern as flames welled up from within. Moments later, a stream of fire erupted forth, aimed at _Iseult_ **[7000 Power]**. The Royal Paladin unit grunted in pain before recovering.

"Damage check…" Kourin spoke up as she flipped over the top card of her deck.

 **[Damage Check - Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte - No Trigger]**

"I'll attack with _White Rider_ next."

"I'm afraid I'll have to stop you there. I guard with _Weapons Dealer, Govannon_!" Kourin countered.

In that instant, a gnome in a set of blue robes and a blue helmet appeared, protecting _Iseult_ from the oncoming horseman. **[6000 Power + 5000 Shield = 11000 Power]**

"I end my turn."

 **Kourin**  
 **Back Row -** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Front Row -** Empty **| Flash Shield, Iseult |** Empty  
 **Hand -** 5  
 **Damage -** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte [U]

 **Matthew**  
 **Front Row -** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost **| Lost Soul, Pyro Jack |** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
 **Back Row -** Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand -** 5  
 **Damage -** None

"My turn, draw!" Kourin said, drawing her next card to increase her hand at six. "I ride _Knight of Silence, Gallatin_!"

 _Iseult_ glowed and changed into a purple haired warrior in white garb with black armor on his shoulders and torso, a red scarf around its neck with a red cloth over his eyes **[Knight of Silence, Gallatin - 10000 Power]**

"Call! _Little Sage, Marron_! _Knight of the Harp, Tristan_! _Starlight Unicorn_!"

Three circles appeared on the ground next to _Gallatin_ , giving way to new figures; a man with white hair that fell to his neck with a straight trim on his bangs rose from one, wearing white armor and carrying a rapier in one hand and the harp in the other. **[Knight of the Harp, Tristan - 8000 Power]** Next, trotting up behind _Tristan_ came a white unicorn with a rainbow mane and tail having a golden horn that was attached to its gold faceplate, while golden armor dotted its body. **[Starlight Unicorn - 6000 Power]** And finally behind _Gallatin_ was a young boy with blonde hair, wearing a blue-and-white beret and uniform holding a brown tome. **[Little Sage, Marron - 8000 Power]**

" _Starlight Unicorn's_ skill activates! When called to a rear guard circle, I give +2000 Power to a Royal Paladin unit of my choice until the end of my turn. I choose _Tristan_!"

The unicorn neighed as it powered up _Tristan_. **[8000 Power + 2000 Power = 10000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Starlight Unicorn_ , _Tristan_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kourin said, turning the cards sideways.

"No guard."

Neighing again, _Starlight Unicorn_ glowed with energy transferring its power over to its knight companion. _Tristan_ then charged in towards _Pyro Jack_ and pierced it with his rapier. **[10000 Power + 6000 Power = 16000 Power]**

"Damage check." I announced, revealing the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Lost Soul, Pyro Jack - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Marron_ , _Gallatin_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kourin continued.

"I guard with _Horseman of War, Red Rider_ and _Deception Beast, Kabuso_!" I countered as I placed a pair of cards in the Guardian Circle.

As _Gallatin_ prepared to charge across the battlefield, he found that there was something standing in his way; a black-cloaked man riding atop a fiery red horse and carrying a longsword. Standing alongside him was a small white otter with dark blue hair in a bowl cut and wearing a bamboo hat on its head. **[7000 Power + 10000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 22000 Power]**

"Drive Trigger, check." Kourin said, revealing the top card as it glowed red. "Draw Trigger, I give the Power to _Gallatin_ and draw an extra card."

 **[Drive Check - Weapons Dealer, Govannon - Draw Trigger]**

 _Marron_ chanted a spell as he transferred his power over to _Gallatin_ who was also powered up by the trigger. **[10000 Power + 8000 Power + 5000 Power = 23000 Power]** _Gallatin_ then rushed in and slashed the two Guardians into motes of light before slashing _Pyro Jack_ with his sword.

"Damage check." I added.

 **[Damage Check - Maiden of Songs, Sarasvati - No Trigger]**

"I end my turn."

 **Kourin**  
 **Back Row -** Empty / Little Sage, Marron / Starlight Unicorn  
 **Front Row -** Empty **| Knight of Silence, Gallatin |** Knight of the Harp, Tristan  
 **Hand -** 4  
 **Damage -** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte [U]

 **Matthew**  
 **Front Row -** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost **| Lost Soul, Pyro Jack |** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
 **Back Row -** Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand -** 3  
 **Damage -** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack [U], Maiden of Songs, Sarasvati [U]

"I stand and draw!" I said as I began the turn. Looking over my options, I plucked a card from my hand and held it skyward.

 _ **"Strike the opposition with your dance of swords as your crimson armor shines! Ride! Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune!"**_

 _Pyro Jack_ glowed with a bluish light as his body changed forms. Replacing him was a warrior garbed in white clothing underneath crimson samurai armor. The warrior's face was painted white with red markings painted over his eyes, and he wielded a pair of katana with expertise. **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power]**

"Huh… a chant." Rekka mused. "Just like that boy that came here before."

" _Tam Lin's_ skill!" I announced while sliding the card into my Soul. "By putting him into my Soul while I have a Megaten Vanguard, I get to draw an extra card!" After drawing, I plucked another pair of cards from my hand.

" _White Rider_ moves back." I added while placing the unit in my back row. "Call! _Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu_! _Horseman of Famine, Black Rider_!"

As the rider and his white steed leapt backwards, a new unit appeared to take his former position; a blue-feathered birdman wearing old traditional Japanese clothing colored in white and black. Galloping in behind _Jack Frost_ was a black-cloaked skeletal figure riding atop a jet-black horse and carrying a pair of bronze scales in his right hand. **[Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu - 9000 Power] [Horseman of Famine, Black Rider - 8000 Power]**

" _Kurama Tengu_ and _Yoshitsune_ will Change!" I continued, earning a look of surprise from the girls.

Once more, the units of my choosing broke apart into masses of data before reforming once again in swapped positions.

"There's that Change skill again." Suiko commented.

" _Yoshitsune's_ skill!" I declared as I flipped over _Sarasvati_ in the damage zone. "When he Changes while I have at least three rear-guards, I can Counterblast one, and he gets 2000 Power plus an extra Critical for the turn." **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / 1-2 Critical]**

"What?!" Kourin gasped.

"And next, _Kurama Tengu's_ Change skill!" I went on, flipping over the _Pyro Jack_ in my damage zone. "I can Counterblast one and Soul Charge one to stand my other unit that I just Changed."

 **[Soul Charge - Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime - No Trigger]**

"I see…" Suiko mused. "Since that skill rests his former Vanguards, then it stands to reason he'd have a way to counteract it."

"Boosted by _Black Rider_ , _Jack Frost_ attacks your Vanguard." I declared while resting my units.

"No guard."

Down on the field, _Black Rider's_ eyes flashed red briefly as he transferred his power to _Jack Frost_. **[Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - 6000 Power + 8000 Power = 14000 Power]**

"Damage trigger, check." Kourin said as she flipped over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Little Sage, Marron - No Trigger]**

 _Jack Frost_ leapt into the air before exhaling a large puff of icy air that assaulted _Gallatin_ like a blizzard.

 _'It's useless to attack with_ Kurama Tengu _right now, so…'_ I thought to myself as I turned my gaze to _Yoshitsune_. "Boosted by _White Rider_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard."

Kourin glanced down at her hand as if contemplating something. "No guard." she finally said.

With his eyes flashing red for a brief moment, _White Rider_ transferred his power to the crimson swordsman. _Yoshitsune_ then dashed forward while drawing out his swords and leaped into the air, soon bringing his weapons down on _Gallatin_.

"Damage trigger, check."

 **[Damage Check - Starlight Unicorn - No Trigger]  
** **[Damage Check - Knight of Silence, Gallatin - No Trigger]**

"I end my turn.""I end my turn"

 **Kourin**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Little Sage, Marron / Starlight Unicorn  
 **Front Row:** Empty **| Knight of Silence, Gallatin |** Knight of the Harp, Tristan  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte [U], Little Sage, Marron [U], Starlight Unicorn [U], Knight of Silence, Gallatin [U]

 **Matthew**  
 **Front Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost **| Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu |** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune  
 **Back Row:** Horseman of Famine, Black Rider / Empty / Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
 **Hand:** 2  
 **Damage:** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack [F], Maiden of Songs, Sarasvati [F]

"My turn," said Kourin, "Stand and draw." She drew her next card to make her hand five. "I ride _Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte_!"

 _Gallatin_ was surrounded by a pillar of swirling flames. When the flames dispersed, a new Vanguard, clad in armor and sporting the wings of a red swallowtail butterfly, appeared on the field, **[Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte – 10000 Power]**

"Next I Call another _Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte_ and _Knight Squire, Allen_!"

Two more pillars of light appeared on _Brigitte's_ right and a carbon copy of the Vanguard albeit with different coloration and a young boy knight in armor appeared. **[Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte - 10000 Power] [Knight Squire Allen - 7000 Power]**

" _Knight Squire, Allen's_ skill activates. By Counterblasting one, he gains 1000 Power. And I'm doing that four times." Kourin said as she flipped the cards in the damage zone over making _Allen_ glow with power. **[7000 Power + 4000 Power = 11000 Power]**

"Oh hell…" I muttered.

"Boosted by _Allen_ , my Rear Guard _Brigitte_ attacks your Vanguard." Kourin said, turning the cards sideways.

 _'Damn… If I guard against this, I'll be wide open to her other attacks.'_ I thought to myself while glancing down at my hand. "No guard!"

 _Allen_ glowed as he transferred his power over to the Rear Guard _Brigitte_ **[10000 Power + 11000 Power = 21000 Power]**. It then flew towards _Kurama Tengu_ and slashed it with its flaming sword, making the tengu screech in pain before _Brigitte_ backed off.

"Damage Trigger, check." I said, revealing the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Marron_ , my Vanguard _Brigitte_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"You'll have to try harder! _Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn_ will nullify that!" I countered, discarding a card and placing another on my Guardian Circle. Seconds later, a warrior clad in white armor and a white cape with long dark hair materialized on the field in front of _Kurama Tengu_ , brandishing his silver spear. **[Shield: 0]**

"Twin Drive, check." Kourin revealed the top two cards and they both glowed yellow. "Double Critical! All effects go to _Knight of the Harp, Tristan_!"

 **[Drive Check - Bringer of Good Luck, Epona - Critical Trigger]**  
 **[Drive Check - Bringer of Good Luck, Epona - Critical Trigger]**

The Vanguard _Brigitte_ flew forward and, like its look alike, slashed at my Vanguard with its flaming sword, but _Cu Chulainn_ defended his comrade.

"Boosted by _Starlight Unicorn_ , _Knight of Harp Tristan_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kourin declared as the white horse neighed while transferring its power to _Tristan_. **[8000 Power + 6000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 24000 Power/Critical: 1-3]**

Looking at my all-but-decimated hand, I sighed to myself. "No guard." I responded.

"He must be betting on a Trigger to save him…" I heard Rekka note off to the side.

"Damage trigger, check." I said as I flipped the first card over. "First check…"

 **[Damage Check - Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - No Trigger]**

"Second check..." Flipping over the second card, the card let off a pale red glow. "Draw Trigger; I'll give the power to my Vanguard, and I draw."

 **[Damage Check - Infernal Demon Melchom - Draw Trigger]**

I looked down at my deck and felt a wave of uneasiness. _'If I don't get a Heal Trigger here, it's over… I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need your help, cards…'_ I placed my hand on the top card and took hold of it. "Third check…" Flipping it over, my eyes widened in surprise at seeing the green glow from the icon in the corner.

 **[Damage Check - Magical Trickster, Pixie - Heal Trigger]**

"Heal Trigger!" I announced. "The power goes to my Vanguard and I heal one point of damage!"

"No way! He got it!" Rekka exclaimed.

"Talk about luck of the draw." Suiko commented.

"I end my turn." Kourin frowned.

 **Kourin**  
 **Back Row -** Knight Squire, Allen / Little Sage, Marron / Starlight Unicorn  
 **Front Row -** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte **| Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte |** Knight of the Harp, Tristan  
 **Hand -** 4  
 **Damage -** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte [F], Little Sage, Marron [F], Starlight Unicorn [F], Knight of Silence, Gallatin [F]

 **Matthew**  
 **Front Row -** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost **| Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu |** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune  
 **Back Row -** Horseman of Famine, Black Rider / Empty / Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
 **Hand -** 1  
 **Damage -** Maiden of Songs, Sarasvati [F] Ice Spirit, Jack Frost [U], Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune [U], Infernal Demon Melchom [U], Magical Trickster, Pixie [U]

"Alright, here goes," I muttered as I drew my next card and stood my units. I looked at the card I'd drawn and my eyes widened slightly. "This is…" Smirking, I raised the card above my head and began to chant.

 _ **"Shining dragon that reigns over the celestial plain, unleash your prideful roar throughout the world! Ride! Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long!"**_

Slapping the card down onto my Vanguard Circle, _Kurama Tengu_ was suddenly engulfed in golden flames. Giving out a screech amidst the blaze, the flames grew and expanded out before taking a definite shape. Soon the flames dispersed, making way for a massive, golden Chinese dragon with prominent antler-like horns sitting on top of its head. Its red eyes gleamed as it made its presence known with a roar. **[Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - 11000 Power]**

"Whoa! That's some dragon!" Rekka commented upon seeing my new Vanguard.

"I wonder what it does." Suiko added.

" _Jack Frost_ retires, and I call another _Huang Long_!" I announced, placing down my final card in place of _Jack Frost_ , which caused a carbon copy of my Vanguard to rise up next to it. **[Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - 11000 Power]**

"Now my two _Huang Longs_ will Change!" I declared as my dragons broke into data before reforming in each other's former spots.

"Changing two of the same unit?" Sukio wondered.

" _Huang Long's_ Change skill! He gets an extra 2000 Power, and during my turns, your Trigger effects are null and void!" I explained as my dragons gained tiny auras of bio-electricity. **[Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - 11000 Power + 2000 Power = 13000 Power] (x2)**

"Wait what?!" Rekka gaped.

"It has such a skill?" Suika asked, a bit surprised by the sound of it.

"Next is my Vanguard _Huang Long's_ skill!" I added, flipping over two cards from my damage zone. "Counterblast! And now I get to retire one of your rear-guards whose Grade is lower than one of the two units I just Changed!"

"And both of them were Grade 3, so…!" Suiko gasped.

"I retire the Grade 2 _Tristan_!" I declared as _Huang Long_ let a bolt of lightning branch off from its aura and strike _Tristan_ , sending him into oblivion. I smirked as I looked down towards my Vanguard, then towards my other front row units. "Boosted by _White Rider_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard!"

" _Epona_ will guard that!" Kourin countered as she placed the Grade 0 in her Guardian Circle.

On cue, _White Rider's_ eyes gleamed red as he transferred his power to the crimson swordsman. **[9000 Power + 6000 Power = 15000 Power]**

Despite his increased power, _Yoshitsune_ was cut off from his attack by _Epona_ , who took the hit for _Brigitte_.

"It all comes down to this! My Vanguard _Huang Long_ attacks your Vanguard!" I declared.

"I guard with another _Epona_!" Kourin retorted after placing another card in her Guardian Circle.

"Twin Drive, check!" I said while flipping over the top two cards in quick succession.

 **[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**  
 **[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**

"Looks like two can play at that game! Double Critical!" I smirked again. "All effects go to my Vanguard!"

"No way!" Kourin gasped in surprise as _Huang Long's_ body gave off a golden glow that quickly intensified, soon turning into a wave of pure force that blasted throughout the battlefield, blowing away Epona and hitting all of Kourin's units. I noticed she got a Heal Trigger at the last second, but I knew it wouldn't help her due to _Huang Long's_ skill.

 **[Damage Check - Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte - No Trigger]**  
 **[Damage Check - Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine - Heal Trigger]**

 **FINAL RESULTS:**

 **Kourin**  
 **Back Row -** Knight Squire, Allen / Little Sage, Marron / Starlight Unicorn  
 **Front Row -** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte **| Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte |** Empty  
 **Hand -** 4  
 **Damage -** Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte [F], Little Sage, Marron [F], Starlight Unicorn [F], Knight of Silence, Gallatin [F], Crimson Butterfly, Brigitte [U], Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine [U]

 **Matthew**  
 **Front Row -** Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long **| Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long |** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune  
 **Back Row -** Horseman of Famine, Black Rider / Empty / Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
 **Hand -** 0  
 **Damage -** Maiden of Songs, Sarasvati [F] Ice Spirit, Jack Frost [F], Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune [F], Infernal Demon Melchom [U], Magical Trickster, Pixie [U]

I exhaled the breath I didn't realize I was holding in as Kourin's final damage hit her damage zone.

"Holy crap, I managed to win." I muttered in genuine surprise. That shouldn't have happened so easily given this chick's track record.

"Yes, you did. Congratulations." Kourin replied, smiling ever so slightly. After gathering up her cards, she walked over to my side of the Motion Figure System and offered her hand. "You did well. Beating me isn't something just anyone can brag about."

"Thanks." I said before shaking her hand. "I guess I finally found the right deck…"

"The right deck?" Suiko repeated as she, Rekka, and Louisa approached us.

"That's right," I answered as I held up my new deck. "This was my first time using these. I came here hoping for a test run."

Kourin chuckled. "Well they definitely have their strong points. Otherwise that game would have turned out differently."

"No kidding."

"Congratulations, Kazuya." Suiko added.

"Yeah, that was a great cardfight!" Rekka chimed in.

"You're welcome here at PSY anytime." the eldest of the three sisters said. I nodded and turned to leave, with Louisa following behind.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." I called back as the two of us left the shop. After stepping outside, I once again took a look at my true deck, with _Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long_ resting on top.

"So, what did you think?" Louisa spoke up next to me as we left the alleyway that led to PSY.

"The deck?" I asked. I glanced at the cards in my hand again before smirking. "They're perfect. They're just what I wanted in a deck."

"Good to hear." the demon girl added. "So where to now, Matthew?"

"Don't call me that anymore."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"You said I can't go back to that life, isn't that right?" I replied, to which the blonde nodded. "Then I don't want to be reminded of that life anymore. From now on, I'm a new person."

"What do you want to be called then?"

"Minegishi… Minegishi Kazuya." I answered, using the same name I had used in PSY. "As for where we're going… Right now I have to make a plan."

* * *

Fairy Knight, Tam Lin  
Grade 0  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 5000 / Shield - 10000  
 **[AUTO]: Forerunner**  
 **[ACT] (RC):** [Put this unit into your soul] If you have a «Megaten» vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw one card.  
 **[ACT] (RC):** [Put this unit into your soul] Choose up to one of your «Megaten», and that unit gets +2000 Power until end of turn.

Magical Trickster, Pixie  
Grade 0  
Trigger Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Elf  
Power - 5000 / Shield - 10000  
Trigger - Heal  
 _(You may only have up to four cards with "HEAL" in a deck.)_

Demon Sword, Rakshasa  
Grade 0  
Trigger Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Demon  
Power - 5000 / Shield - 10000  
Trigger - Critical

Infernal Demon Melchom  
Grade 0  
Trigger Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Demon  
Power - 5000 / Shield - 10000  
Trigger - Draw

Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Demon  
Power - 6000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO]:** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a **Change** ability from one of your other cards, Soul Charge (1) and draw a card.

Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Demon  
Power - 7000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO]: [Soul Blast (1)]** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a **Change** ability from one of your other cards, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card.  
 **[AUTO] (VC/RC):** When this unit attacks a Vanguard, if the number of your other «Megaten» rear-guards is three or greater, this unit gets +2000 Power until end of that battle.

Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Zombie  
Power - 6000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO]: [Counter Blast (1)]** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a **Change** ability from one of your other cards, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets +3000 Power until end of turn.

Horseman of Famine, Black Rider  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Zombie  
Power - 8000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO]: [Counter Blast (1)]** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a **Change** ability from one of your other cards, you may pay the cost, if you do, this card gains +1000 Power until end of turn.

Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 6000 / Shield - 0  
 **[CONT]: Sentinel**  
 **[AUTO]: [Choose a «Megaten» from your hand, and discard it]** When this unit is placed on (GC), you may pay the cost. If you do, choose one of your «Megaten» that is being attacked, and that unit cannot be hit until end of that battle.  
 **[AUTO] (GC):** When this card is placed on (GC) from hand, at the end of that battle, choose one of your Grade 0 rear-guards in the back row, and **Change**.

Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune  
Grade 2  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 9000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO]: [Counter Blast (1)]** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a **Change** ability from one of your other cards while the number of your rear-guards is three or more, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets +2000 Power/+1 Critical until end of turn.

Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu  
Grade 2  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - High Beast  
Power - 9000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO] [1/Turn]: [Counter Blast (1) & Soul Blast (1)]** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a **Change** ability from one of your other cards while the number of your rear-guards is three or greater, you may pay the cost. If you do, stand your other unit that changed.

Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
Grade 3  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Cosmo Dragon  
Power - 11000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change**  
 **[AUTO] (VC) [1/Turn]: [Counter Blast (2)]** When you activate a **Change** ability from one of your other cards, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose one of your opponent's rear-guards with a Grade lower than one of those units you changed, and retire it.  
 **[AUTO]:** When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC) due to a Change ability from one of your other cards, until end of turn, this unit gets +2000 Power and _"[CONT]: During your turn, your opponent's trigger effects are nullified."._

 **Notes: Change**

 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change** _(You can only use one Change ability per turn. If the number of your rear-guards is two or greater, this unit may be moved to a different Circle as [Rest] once during your turn, choose another of your units in the front row, and change it. Units moved to (VC) with this ability become your Vanguard.)_


	3. New Days

**Shin Megami Tensei: Vanguard - War of Demons**

 **Grade 2**

 **New Days**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard (the anime or the TCG) or the Megami Tensei franchise. All creative rights go to their respective owners, Bushiroad and Atlus.**_

* * *

It's been about an hour since I arrived here in this world and won my first cardfight using the cards Louisa gave me… and right now I'm completely lost.

Doing great, self. Keep up the fantastic work of getting lost in a city you obviously don't know your way around.

Right now my only plan is to find a certain place and go from there, but so far that's been unproductive. Well to be fair I've asked for directions already from some others, and it did steer me somewhat in the right direction, but still, this city is so fucking big that it makes it hard to get around.

Well at any rate asking around allowed me to pretty much confirm that I can not only read Japanese now, but I can also speak it perfectly like I was a native.

After a while, we finally came up to where I wanted to go; a small shop nestled in between two other buildings. Sitting above the entrance was a decorative sign that sported the shop's name: "Card Capital".

"So this is where you wanted to go? Another card shop?" Louisa asked. "But why? It doesn't look like much."

"This mission of yours has something to do with this world," I answered. "But if I keep wandering around aimlessly then I won't get anywhere. There's someone here I should try and find because there's a chance hanging around him will eventually be beneficial for us. And judging by some of the girls' comments back at PSY, he should have come here by now…"

Walking inside through the sliding glass doors, the shop itself was relatively small, with the interior mostly occupied by long tables and a counter by the door. I glanced around the room and noticed a few people sitting at a table towards the back; two of them appeared to be middle schoolers while the other two looked like they were at least a year older, so likely in high school.

The first of the high schoolers was a boy with spiky blonde hair wearing a uniform consisting of a blue blazer, blue pants, and a white dress shirt with a black tie. The one sitting across from him was a middle school-aged boy with a brown afro dressed in a grey school uniform. The one sitting next to _him_ was a boy around the same age and wearing the same uniform, but with black hair that spiked up in two different directions, however impossible that may be. Sitting off somewhat separately from them was a guy around the same age as the blondie with brown hair that stood up and swept off to the side and blue eyes, wearing the same uniform the blondie was.

"Oh, hello!" I heard someone say off to my left. I turned to see a man in his early thirties with dark green hair and a pair of square, thick-rimmed glasses, guessing he was the one that had talked. The man wore a white dress shirt, jeans, and a light blue apron. "I'm Nitta Shin, the manager here at Card Capital. Nice to meet you."

"Same to you," I shrugged in response to Shin's greeting.

"I always like to get to know new customers, so what's your name?" Shin asked.

"…Minegishi, Minegishi Kazuya." I answered a second later.

"Kazuya huh? Well it's nice to meet you." Shin said. "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll be sure to do that." I nodded. I then turned to the four boys towards the back. "Hey. You guys."

"Hm? Oh hey, what's up?" asked the blonde boy. "Haven't seen you around before. You new here?"

"I'm looking for a kid named Sendou Aichi," I answered plainly. "Has he come around here?"

"You know Aichi?" the blonde raised an eyebrow. The middle schooler next to him also looked confused.

"He's not here," he cut in

"I can see that, of course." I replied. "So if you don't mind, I'll be hanging around here to wait." And with that, Louisa and I sat down at a table next to theirs. The three of them just looked at me, as if to ask how I had the balls to talk to them like that. I just rolled my eyes in response. I then glanced to the side as they looked at each other again, probably not sure what to do next.

"So we're here to meet this Aichi person?" Louisa questioned me. Right as I was about to open my mouth to answer her, I realized nobody had taken notice of the demon girl yet. Everyone aside from the girls at PSY anyways, but that one I could pretty much deduce. "You can use your thoughts to talk to me. And you've probably also figured out others can't see me."

' _Makes sense,'_ I figured. _'We don't want anyone to know you're here, at least not yet. But getting back on topic, I'm mostly going on a gamble at this point. I figure interacting with Aichi will eventually get me somewhere.'_

"Who _is_ that guy…?" The blonde muttered to the brown haired middle schooler. I perked up my hearing after that was said.

"Not sure." Sighing halfheartedly, the blonde stood up and walked towards me.

"By the way, my name's Miwa Taishi." he introduced. "And these guys are Yuuta Izaki…" He gestured to the dark brown-haired boy still looked at me funny. "Morikawa Katsumi..." he then gestured to the black-haired boy, who was also looking at me suspiciously. "And this guy over here is Kai Toshiki. He doesn't talk much though."

"That's nice," I replied. "But I came here to meet Aichi. I have no business with any of you."

"Hey, Miwa's just trying to be nice to you!" Izaki spoke up. "You don't have to shove it back in his face! There's no way I'll believe you're friends with-"

"I'm not Aichi's friend." I interrupted. "Like I said before, I'm only here to meet with him." And with that, Miwa went to sit back down.

"Oh…" Shin spoke up by the counter, trying to break the tension I'd caused. "There's actually someone else I'd like you to meet." He then turned to a doorway into the back. "Hey Misaki! Come on out, we have a new customer!"

A few seconds later, someone else stepped out into the main area of the shop. The person in question was a girl a couple of years younger than me with lilac hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in clothes I figured were part of some sort of school uniform with a red apron overtop all that.

"This is my niece, Tokura Misaki. She can also help with whatever you need." Shin introduced.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to remember that." I said politely.

"It's nice to meet you," Misaki greeted with a small bow.

"Likewise." I replied. "Misaki, right? I hope we get along." I could tell the others behind me were outright surprised at my manners, given their expressions.

Hey, I may be an asshole, but I know how to treat women.

"Hey! Why are you nice to _her_ and not us?!" Morikawa snapped, pointing his finger at me accusingly.

"Got a problem with it?" I retorted, looking over my shoulder. Morikawa grumbled something to himself before backing off.

"Don't worry about him." Misaki assured. "He's nothing but hot air. He claims he's the strongest fighter in this shop when in reality his deck is full of nothing but Grade 3's."

"I can tell," I answered, which triggered another incoherent grumble from Morikawa and a smirk from me.

"Hey, this is gonna sound weird, but…" Misaki trailed off as if in thought. "Have we met somewhere before?" I raised a brow in confusion. "You just look familiar for some reason, but I can't put my finger on it…"

"I don't think so." I shrugged. Though now that she brings it up… That's been gnawing at me too. I thought back to my strange dream back in my old world, but shook my head.

No, that couldn't be it… could it?

"What's up guys?"

I turned to the entrance to see three more people come in. All three of them were kids and ones I recognized well. The first was a kid with spiky black hair that was tied into a ponytail in the back and red eyes wearing a black jacket with orange trimming and red sleeves, jeans, and black sneakers. The one next to him was the same age with brown hair tied up high in the back and blue eyes. And the one next to him was also the same age as the other two with blue hair also tied in the back into a ponytail and round, thin-rimmed glasses over his brown eyes. The three of them walked in past the counter and joined the others at the table next to me.

"Oh, hey Kamui." Miwa greeted. The black-haired kid, Kamui, then turned in my direction, having taken notice of me.

"Who's this guy?" Kamui asked.

"He's a jerk, that's what." Morikawa grumbled. Hey, that's- nah it's pretty true.

"Now, now, be nice." Shin chided before turning to Kamui. "This is Minegishi Kazuya. He's new here."

"Awesome, a new cardfighter!" Kamui pumped his fist. "I'm Katsuragi Kamui, and I'm one of the best players here."

"Hey there. And don't get too excited kid. I'm nothing special." I shrugged. Like hell I'm gonna let on about my deck without fighting them.

"Oh, and these two are my buddies Uno Reiji…" Kamui added, gesturing to the blue-haired kid. "And Saga Eiji." He also gestured to the brown-haired kid next to Reiji.

"Nice to meet you." Reiji greeted.

"Nice meeting you, yo." Eiji added.

' _And the gang's almost here…'_ I thought to myself. _'All that's left is…'_

"Anyways, wanna cardfight?" Kamui suddenly asked me.

"Hm? You wanna fight me that badly?" I responded. I shrugged. "Sure. Let's see how I stack up." And with that, the two of us walked over to one of the tables set up in here especially for cardfighting. Just as I was shuffling my deck, I heard the doors at the front slide open again.

"Hey everyone… Huh? Oh, Kamui's cardfighting?"

I turned my head to the front of the shop to see a boy who looked to be the same age as Izaki and Morikawa, with chin-length dark blue hair and light blue eyes wearing the same grey uniform as the other two middle schoolers.

' _Bingo._ ' I thought to myself.

"Hey Aichi, you came just in time." Miwa grinned.

"Beat this jerk to a pulp!" Morikawa said to Kamui.

"Uh… did I miss something?" Aichi wondered aloud.

"Nothing much," I answered while continuing to shuffle my deck. "I just got acquainted with these guys."

"Sorry, who are you?"

"You can call me Minegishi Kazuya." I replied as I placed my starting Vanguard down on the field.

"Shin, watch the counter.." I heard Misaki speak up from the counter after Kamui and I drew our starting hands.

"But I want to watch-" There was a brief pause from Shin. "I-I'll just watch from here…"

"Alright, you ready new guy?" Kamui said after placing his Vanguard down as well.

"I guess so," I answered before we each flipped our cards over.

" **STAND UP! (MY) VANGUARD!"**

 _On the planet Cray, Kamui and I stood on opposite ends of the battlefield. The scenery was a grey sky showing multiple planets and star. The ground we stood on was a barren wasteland. We were then engulfed in light, red for Kamui, green for me._

Kamui's form morphed into a giant red and white mecha.

 **[Battleraizer – 3000 Power]**

" _Battleraizer_!" Kamui shouted.

 _Meanwhile, I morphed into my starting green-armored knight._ **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

" _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_!"

"Huh? What's that card? I've never seen that before!" Morikawa noticed.

"Is that a new clan?" Aichi wondered.

"...They're called the Megaten," I answered simply.

"Megaten?" Everyone asked amongst themselves. Kai simply looked towards my unit with a glare, from what I noticed. I also caught a glance of Misaki looking at the card in interest.

"I'll go first," I interjected while drawing my sixth card. "I ride _Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras_!"

Tam Lin _morphed into a blue-skinned woman with darker blue hair dressed in a small white dress with a dark blue hem and a sheer, white scarf around her neck._ **[Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras - 8000 Power]**

" _Tam Lin_ moves back," I continued as I slid the Grade 0 back behind _Apsaras_.

 _At the same time, the green knight materialized behind the blue-skinned woman, ready to assist his comrade._ **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

"And I end my turn." I finished.

 **Kamui  
Back Row:** Empty **/** Empty **/** Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty **/** **Battleraizer /** Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

 **Kazuya  
Front Row:** Empty **/** **Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras /** Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty **/** Fairy Knight, Tam Lin **/** Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

"Then I'm up." Kamui said as he drew his sixth card. "Kamui the Great rides _Tough Boy_!"

Battleraizer _transformed into a gunmetal grey robot with small, round shields lining his body, while greenish lightning crackled around him._ **[Tough Boy - 8000 Power]**

" _Battleraizer_ moves back," Kamui added as he slid his Grade 0 behind _Tough Boy_. "And then I call _Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout_!"

 _Appearing next to the grey robot was a greyish octopus-like creature that was outfitted like a cross between a radio DJ and an announcer at a sporting event._ **[Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout - 7000 Power]**

"And now I'm activating _Shout's_ skill," the Nova Grappler user added as he turned the unit sideways. "I'll discard a card to draw a new one!" Looking at what he drew, the dark-haired kid nodded to himself before turning his middle column units sideways. "Boosted by _Battleraizer_ , _Tough Boy_ attacks your Vanguard. Also, _Battleraizer's_ skill is online! He gives another 3000 Power in addition to his own!"

"No guard." I shrugged.

"Drive Check!" Kamui said, revealing a glowing card outlined in yellow light. Kamui grinned nice and wide. "Critical Trigger! All effects go to _Tough Boy_!"

 **[Drive Check - Red Lightning - Critical Trigger]**

 _Electricity was discharged from_ Tough Boy _that struck_ Apsaras _, making the dancer shriek in pain._ **[8000 Power + 3000 Power + 3000 Power + 5000 Power = 19000 Power/Critical: 1-2]**

"Damage check," I said while flipping over my next two cards.

 **[Damage Check - Horseman of Conquest, White Rider - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Infernal Demon Melchom - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger!" I said as the cards fell into my damage zone. "I give the power to _Apsaras_ and I draw."

"And that'll be my turn," Kamui finished before taking _Battleraizer_ and shuffling it into his deck. "And at the end of the turn _Battleraizer_ uses his skill, he goes back into the deck." Placing his cards back down, I took that as my cue to start my turn.

 **Kamui  
Back Row:** Empty **/** Empty **/** Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty **/** **Tough Boy /** Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

 **Kazuya  
Front Row:** Empty **/** **Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras /** Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty **/** Fairy Knight, Tam Lin **/** Empty  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider [U], Infernal Demon Melchom [U]

"Stand and draw." I said as I drew my next card, increasing my hand to seven. I plucked a card from my hand and held it high.

" _ **Strike the opposition with your dance of swords as your crimson armor shines! Crush the foolish oppression, my avatar! Ride! Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune!"**_

 _Appearing in place of_ Apsaras _, in a burst of greenish light, was my crimson-armored swordsman, wielding his katana in a battle stance._ **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power]**

"Whoa, sweet chant." Kamui remarked.

"Kinda like yours Aichi." Miwa grinned.

"I call _Heavenly King, Komokuten_ and _Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras_!" I continued as I placed a card next to _Yoshitsune_.

 _Showing up next to the crimson swordsman was a tall man with dark orange skin and short blue hair tied in the back, wearing a set of armor colored in pale burgundy overtop a white Buddhist robe. The man got into a battle stance with his fists in front of him. Appearing just behind_ Komokuten _was an exact copy of my previous Grade 1 unit._ **[Heavenly King, Komokuten - 9000 Power] [Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras - 8000 Power]**

" _Komokuten's_ skill!" I announced. "When he's called to the rear-guard while my Vanguard is capable of Changing, I get to draw two cards!" I smirked after seeing the cards I'd drawn.

"Change?" Kamui repeated. "Is that some kind of skill?"

"I wonder what it could be," I heard Miwa wonder aloud. I smirked as I waved my hand over _Yoshitsune_ and _Komokuten_.

"Then I think I'll demonstrate," I said. " _Yoshitsune_! _Komokuten_! Change!" I then took my Vanguard and my other rear-guard and swapped their positions.

 _On the battlefield, the two units did the same, morphing into bits of green data before reforming in swapped locations._

"What in-" Kamui got out.

"He can do that?" Aichi sounded surprised.

I kept smirking. " _Yoshitsune's_ Change skill!" I continued. "When he changes, he gets another 2000 Power, and he's also going Critical!"

Yoshitsune _brandished his swords as his power increased._ **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / Critical: 1-2]**

"But _Yoshitsune_ is rested now…" Misaki muttered thoughtfully.

"You're right. He is. But that's about to become a different story. _Komokuten's_ other skill is now online!" I took _Apsaras_ out of the Soul and placed her in my Drop Zone. "I can Soul Blast to stand _Yoshitsune_ again!"

"No way!" Izaki gawked.

"That's cheating!" Morikawa exclaimed.

"You're still here?" I asked flatly. Morikawa grumbled something or other again before piping down.

"Changing my units also activates _Apsaras'_ skill." I added. "When I activate a Change ability, I get to draw another card." After drawing, I rested _Yoshitsune_ and _Apsaras_. "Boosted by _Apsaras_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard!"

Looking down at his hand, Kamui appeared to be thinking. "I'm not gonna guard." he finally said.

Yoshitsune _, gaining support from the blue-skinned dancer behind him, dashed forward with his swords at the ready._ **[11000 Power + 8000 Power = 19000 Power]** _He leapt forward and struck Tough Boy with his weapons, knocking the grey robot back._

"Damage trigger check." Kamui said as he flipped over two cards from his deck.

 **[Damage Check - Tough Boy - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - King of Sword - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _Komokuten_ attacks your Vanguard!" I continued while resting my last two units.

"I'll guard that with _Red Lightning_!" Kamui countered as he slapped a card onto his Guardian Circle.

"Drive Trigger check," I responded as I flipped over the top card.

 **[Drive Check - Deception Beast, Kabuso - Stand Trigger]**

"Stand Trigger!" I declared. "The Power goes to _Komokuten_ and _Yoshitsune_ stands back up!"

Komokuten _rushed forward at_ Tough Boy _as his power increased substantially._ **[9000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 19000 Power]** _However, a man in a bright red , white, and black armor suit leaped in front of_ Tough Boy _._ **[8000 Power + 10000 Shield = 18000 Power]** _The armored monk pulled back his fist and unleashed a punch with enough force to eliminate_ Red Lightning _without so much as touching him. The sheer power generated by the attack also struck the shielded robot and pushed him back once more._

"Damage trigger check," Kamui said as he flipped over his top card.

 **[Damage Check - Three Minutes - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger!" Kamui pumped his fist. "I'll give the power to _Tough Boy_ and I draw."

"Yoshitsune attacks again!" I added while turning my card sideways once again.

" _Twin Blader_ is gonna nullify that!" Kamui countered as he slid his unit onto the Guardian Circle and discarded another card.

"Hm… then that's all for me." I finished. "At the end of the turn, _Yoshitsune's_ power return to normal." **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 11000 Power - 2000 Power = 9000 Power / Critical: 2-1]**

 **Kamui  
Back Row:** Empty **/** Empty **/** Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty **/** **Tough Boy /** Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout  
 **Hand:** 3  
 **Damage:** Tough Boy [U], King of Sword [U], Three Minutes [U]

 **Kazuya  
Front Row:** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune **/** **Heavenly King, Komokuten /** Empty  
 **Back Row:** Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras **/** Fairy Knight, Tam Lin **/** Empty  
 **Hand:** 8  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider [U], Infernal Demon Melchom [U]

"And just like that he evened it up." Miwa remarked.

"But we all know this could go either way." Misaki pointed out.

"That's true, Kamui doesn't give up easily." Aichi said.

"Alright, stand and draw." Kamui said as he started his turn. He then proceeded to do a ridiculous little stunt where he spun a card on his fingertip before slapping it down onto his Vanguard. "Kamui the Great rides _Brutal Jack_!"

 _Having transformed from its previous form as_ Tough Boy _, a new unit stood at the head of Kamui's forces; a jet-black mechanical dragon that seemed to mostly stay still._ **[Brutal Jack - 11000 Power]**

' _I had a feeling he was searching for that card.'_ I thought to myself. _'Smart move.'_

"And next _Shout_ moves back and I call another _Shout_ and _Magician Girl, Kirara_!"

 _Appearing next to the Vanguard was what pretty much constitutes for a mechanical magical girl colored in blue, white, and gold. Behind it was another copy of the oddly-dressed squid unit._ **[Magician Girl, Kirara - 9000 Power] [Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout - 7000 Power]**

"I'm activating the skill of one of my rear-guard _Shouts_." Kamui stated as he rested the _Shout_ with nothing in front of it, discarding his lone card and drawing a new card. "And next comes _Jack's_ skill, I have to Counter Blast a card to kick him into high gear."

 _On the battlefield,_ Jack's _eyes gleamed bright red as he came to life._

"Okay… Boosted by _Shout_ , _Kirara_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kamui announced.

"No guard."

Kirara's _body glowed with power as it aimed its staff at_ Komokuten _, firing a bolt of energy that struck my Vanguard dead-on._ **[9000 Power + 7000 Power = 16000 Power]**

"Damage check," I said plainly while showing the top card of my deck.

 **[Damage Check - Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu - No Trigger]**

"Sweet, and since _Kirara's_ attack went through, her skill lets me draw another card." Kamui informed as he drew once again while Counter Blasting two of his damage cards. "And next up is _Jack_ aimed at your Vanguard!"

"I'll guard that with _Deception Beast, Kabuso_!" I retorted as I placed a card down at the center of the field.

 _Appearing in front of_ Komokuten _to protect him was a small white otter-like creature with a dark blue bowl cut, lounging on its side even as it floated above the ground_. **[9000 Power + 10000 Shield = 19000 Power]**

"Drive Trigger check," Kamui nodded in response as he checked the top card. It lit up with a blue light.

 **[Drive Check - Battleraizer - Stand Trigger]**

"Stand Trigger! All effects to _Kirara_!" Kamui declared. "And now _Kirara's_ coming in a second time!"

I looked down at the cards I had to work with and frowned slightly. _'That was my only Grade 0, so guarding now would just eat up everything I have…'_ "No guard." I finally said.

 _Once more,_ Kirara _aimed its staff at_ Komokuten _and fired, hitting the warrior square in the chest._ **[9000 Power + 5000 Power = 14000 Power]**

"Damage check,"

 **[Damage Check - Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - No Trigger]**

"And that's it for me." Kamui concluded.

 **Kamui  
Back Row:** Empty **/** Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout **/** Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout  
 **Front Row:** Empty **/** **Brutal Jack /** Magician Girl, Kirara  
 **Hand:** 3  
 **Damage:** Tough Boy [F], King of Sword [F], Three Minutes [F]

 **Kazuya  
Front Row:** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune **/** **Heavenly King, Komokuten /** Empty  
 **Back Row:** Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras **/** Fairy Knight, Tam Lin **/** Empty  
 **Hand:** 7  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider [U], Infernal Demon Melchom [U], Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu [U]

"And it's still dead even," Izaki commented.

"Like I said, it could go either way." Misaki added. "Plus, look at the differences in their hands. It's way too big a margin to be called even."

"You're pretty good, kid." I said as I drew my next card to increase my hand to eight. "But I'm afraid this is the end of the line…"

"What are you talking about?" Kamui asked.

"I'm gonna end it on this turn." I smirked before I raised a card in the air and chanted.

" _ **Shining dragon that reigns over the celestial plain, unleash your prideful roar throughout the world! Final Ride! Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long!"**_

"Final Ride…" I heard Kai mutter. Oh that's cute. He thinks I actually have _that_.

 _Emerging from a pillar of golden light was my massive golden dragon unit, roaring with authority._ **[Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - 11000 Power]**

"Whoa…" Aichi said in a bit of awe.

"Call! _Ice Spirit, Jack Frost_! _Heavenly King, Jikokuten_!"

 _Appearing to the left of my other units was the short, pudgy snowman unit, and standing in front of him was a warrior similar in appearance to_ Komokuten _, but with tanned skin, reddish-brown hair, and dressed in green armor over a white Buddhist robe._ **[Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - 7000 Power] [Heavenly King, Jikokuten - 9000 Power]**

"And next, I'm changing _Huang Long_ and _Yoshitsune_!" I continued.

 _On the battlefield, my two units followed my orders and swapped their positions._

"He rode a Grade 3 but changed it out for a Grade 2…" Misaki wondered aloud.

" _Yoshitsune's_ Change skill! He gains 2000 Power and he goes Critical!" I explained as my new Vanguard powered up. **[9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / Critical: 1-2]**

"And now for _Huang Long's_ Change skill! He gains another 2000 Power" I continued with a faint smirk while flipping over the _White Rider_ and _Melchom_ in my damage zone. "And next, Counter Blast! When I use a Change ability this turn, I can retire one of your rear-guards with a Grade lower than one of the units I just changed!"

"No way!" Kamui gawked.

"I'm retiring _Kirara_." I stated while pointing to Kamui's Grade 2 unit.

Huang Long _roared as it powered up as well._ **[11000 Power + 2000 Power = 13000 Power]** _At the same time, a bolt of lightning was discharged from its own bio-electric aura, hitting_ Kirara _and obliterating her_.

"And next up is _Jikokuten's_ skill!" I said as I flipped over my last card in the damage zone. "I Counter Blast to give him another 1000 Power." **[9000 Power + 1000 Power = 10000 Power]** "Next, _Tam Lin's_ skill. Putting into the Soul allows me to choose any of my units capable of changing, and they get 2000 Power."

Yoshitsune's _swords gleamed with light as he powered up further._ **[11000 Power - 2000 Power = 13000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Apsaras_ , _Huang Long_ attacks your Vanguard!" I declared.

"No guard," Kamui informed.

" _ **A light shining in the darkness… A proud shout that shakes the soul… Resonate! Dragon Cry!"**_

 _The golden dragon roared as light covered its entire body, sending a wave of force throughout the battlefield._ **[13000 Power + 8000 Power = 21000 Power]**

"Damage check,"

 **[Damage Check - Ring Girl, Clara - Heal Trigger]**

"Heal Trigger! The Power goes to;"

"It won't help."

"Huh?"

" _Huang Long_ has another skill when it gets changed…" I answered. "Your Triggers are rendered useless for the turn!"

"W-Wait, what?!" Kamui gasped.

"They're nullified?" Aichi questioned. "Is that possible?"

" _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard next!" I announced as I readied for another attack. **[13000 Power]**

"I guard with _Battleraizer_!" Kamui countered.

 _Down on the battlefield, Kamui's Grade 0 mecha appeared in front of_ Jack _, protecting his ally._ **[11000 Power + 10000 Shield = 21000 Power]**

"Drive Trigger check," I nodded in acknowledgement as I checked the top card.

 **[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**

"Critical Trigger! All effects go to _Jikokuten_!"

"Not good!" Kamui panicked. I could tell by the look on his face he couldn't guard my last attack; which means this match is good as done.

"Boosted by _Jack Frost_ , _Jikokuten_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"…No guard."

"Thought so." I nodded.

Jikokuten's _body glowed as he recieved Jack Frost's power._ **[10000 Power + 5000 Power + 7000 Power = 22000 Power / Critical: 1-2]** _The battle monk rushed forward and delivered a hard strike with its staff, knocking_ Brutal Jack _away with the sheer force of the attack. A few seconds later, the black mecha dragon deactivated and vanished in a shower of motes of light._

 **[Damage Check - Brutal Jack - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Asura Kaiser - No Trigger]**

 **FINAL RESULTS:**

 **Kamui  
Back Row:** Empty **/** Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout **/** Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout  
 **Front Row:** Empty **/** **Brutal Jack /** Magician Girl, Kirara  
 **Hand:** 3  
 **Damage:** Tough Boy [F], King of Sword [F], Three Minutes [F], Ring Girl, Clara [U], Brutal Jack [U], Asura Kaiser [U]

 **Kazuya  
Front Row:** Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long **/** **Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune /** Heavenly King, Jikokuten  
 **Back Row:** Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras **/** Empty **/** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
 **Hand:** 7  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider [F], Infernal Demon Melchom [F], Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu [F]

"Good game." I said.

"Yeah… You really got me by surprise there." Kamui chuckled. "I didn't know what to do for a while there against those cards of yours."

"How could you lose?! After everything I taught you!" Morikawa scolded the Nova Grappler user.

"Except you didn't do anything…" Reiji deadpanned. I glanced over to Kai and noticed he was still glaring at me. I then chuckled to myself as he got up and walked out of the store.

"Huh? Hey, Kai, where you going?" Miwa called after the other high schooler, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Aichi had tried to stop the inevitable bloodshed about to occur between Morikawa and Kamui's buddies, and pretty soon, Miwa had to hop in too, leaving me leaning against the table with Misaki still nearby.

"So… what do you think of my clan?" I asked.

"For a first look, it wasn't all that bad." she replied. "They're definitely something."

"Is that right?" I responded.

"Yeah, it's… definitely a wild card, for sure." she added. She smiled somewhat. "And besides, not many people can just win as soon as they get to Grade 3. That's also an achievement."

"Well thanks. It's nice hearing that from you." I nodded back.

"Oh, what's this? Are we having a moment?" I suddenly heard Miwa ask. I turned my gaze to find he'd left all the hard work of keeping the idiots under control to Aichi. He had a rather stupid grin on his face too.

…And I just figured out why. It pisses me off for some reason.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Misaki shot back. Wait, why is _she_ flustered?

"Heh, are you sure about that?" Miwa grinned widely. "For a second there it looked like-"

"Miwa… Are you _absolutely sure_ you want to finish that statement?" I interrupted, putting the slightest bit of edge into my voice.

"Hey I'm just kidding, relax." Miwa grinned sheepishly, raising his hands while backing off.

"Yeah that's what I thought." I scoffed. I then looked towards Aichi who was still taking care of Kamui and Morikawa, who were still bickering with each other. I shook my head and headed towards the door. "Well I'm out."

"Oh, before you go!" Shin called to me. I turned to see what he wanted. "We're holding a tournament here at the shop tomorrow. I was wondering if you'd like to sign up." I glanced off to the side in thought before pushing up my glasses.

"Sure, count me in." I replied.

"Ah, that's great." the Manager smiled. "We'll be starting at 10:00 tomorrow morning. I'll look forward to seeing you there." I simply nodded to Shin and exited the shop. I didn't have anywhere in particular to go, so I just set off down one street, with Louisa tagging along behind me as usual.

"Well now what?" the demon girl asked me.

"Now we come back tomorrow and I should be able to get the answers I need." I answered. A thought then occurred to me. "Ah fuck, I don't have anywhere to stay around here…"

"I was just about to say that." Louisa said. "But then it's a good thing you have me around. Follow me." I furrowed my brow in confusion as the demon girl turned down another road.

* * *

Okay, I seriously need to interrogate this chick first chance I get.

So as it turns out, I _do_ have somewhere to stay. And it happens to be an apartment in a complex halfway across town. The minute we got to what was going to be my new home and I saw my name on a plate attached to the door, I knew Louisa had done some serious planning ahead.

"I'm not paying rent, am I?" I asked. Because right now, I don't have cash on me.

"You're the only exception I'll be making." she answered. What?

"I beg pardon?" I said.

"Oh yeah, I own this place." Louisa replied casually. Excuse me?

"…How?"

"Demonic power and tampering with people's memories." Louisa replied. "This whole complex used to be a big patch of empty land scheduled to become a park."

"And that was how long ago?"

"Oh... maybe two days ago." she said thoughtfully.

…I need an adult…

"Okay, seriously, who the hell are you?" I demanded.

"If I told you that, then it'd be a dead giveaway of what you're here for. But as it is, I'm not allowed to divulge that information; you have to find out for yourself."

So then I'm back to square one… great…

"Whatever, let's just go in…" I sighed in defeat as I unlocked the door with a key under the mat. Stepping inside, I found it was a small, one room apartment, which I didn't mind. Everything was already furnished and things were pretty much already set up to live in. "Huh… at least it's decent."

Louisa nodded. "And like I said before, you won't have to pay me rent." she added. And with that, she turned to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" I questioned.

"I'll just be staying over in my own room. Just ring me in your head if you need anything." she answered with a wave before just up and closing the door and walking off. You know… I might have been wrong in my initial judgement of her. She's pretty similar to me. I think I could learn to like her, actually. I shrugged and walked further into the room, sitting down by the small table in the middle before laying back with my arms folded lazily behind my head.

I thought back to the others from Card Capital and chuckled. "I think I'll stick around those idiots for a while…" I mused. And with that in mind, I grabbed a remote from the table, switched on the TV, and just looked for something to occupy my time.

* * *

Deception Beast, Kabuso  
Grade 0  
Trigger Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - High Beast  
Power - 5000 / Shield - 10000  
Trigger - Stand

Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Sylph  
Power - 8000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[CONT] (VC/RC):** Each time you activate a **Change** ability, draw 1 card.  
 **[AUTO] (VC/RC): [Choose a card from your hand, and discard it]** If this unit's attack hits a Vanguard while you have a unit on (VC) or (RC) with **Change** , you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one Grade 2 or less «Megaten», reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.

Heavenly King, Komokuten  
Grade 2  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 9000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[AUTO]:** When this unit is placed on (RC), if you have a Vanguard with **Change** , draw 2 cards.  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): [Soul Blast (1)]** Choose one of your units that changed this turn, and stand it.

Heavenly King, Jikokuten  
Grade 2  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 9000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): [Counter Blast (1)]** This unit gets +1000 Power until end of turn.  
 **[AUTO]:** When this unit is placed on (VC), you may search your deck for up to one «Megaten» with the Change ability, reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.


	4. Card Capital Shop Tournament!

**Shin Megami Tensei: Vanguard - War of Demons**

 **Grade 3**

 **Card Capital Shop Tournament**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard or the Megami Tensei franchise. All creative rights go to their respective owners, Bushiroad and Atlus. I do, however, own the Megaten clan and my OC Minegishi Kazuya and Louisa Ferre. Fenikkusumaru owns his OC Kururugi Kurogasa and the Courier Saints clan.**_

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling oddly groggy, more so than normal after waking up. I chalked it up to universal travel taking its toll on me and sat up in the futon that served as my bed. I rubbed my face with my hand and shook my head a few times to wake myself up and happened to glance to a small dresser by one of the walls of my one-room apartment, noticing the deck of Vanguard cards on top. Standing up without a shirt on, I stopped in front of the dresser and picked up the deck, seeing _Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long_ sitting as the top card.

"Well, I guess that confirms it wasn't all a dream." I shrugged to myself. I paused as I remembered something. "Ah, that's right… the tournament is today." I looked at my watch and noticed the time. Guess it's time to get going.

But before that… I have business to take care of.

After I got fully dressed again, I turned towards the futon and stared down at it.

Now… how to get this thing put up…

* * *

After _just_ managing to get the futon put away, I quickly brewed myself a cup of coffee in one of the paper cups Louisa was so generous to provide, and I was off. Notifying Louisa mentally of my destination, she and I hurried along to Card Capital, but made sure not to rush. We wouldn't want any ridiculous, cliche things to happen if I were in a rush and not paying attention, now would we?

"So why are you competing in this tournament today?" Louisa asked me after we'd been walking in silence for about ten minutes.

' _Well part of it is to get a better feel for this deck you gave me._ ' I answered in my thoughts. _'Another part of it though is to see how Aichi plays.'_

"Is he that good?"

' _Not a chance, he's just a beginner.'_ I scoffed. _'As it is right now, his deck is a complete mess. But still… that doesn't mean it doesn't work.'_

"I'm not sure I'm following you here." the demon girl tilted her head.

' _Aichi uses what's called a plot device deck._ ' I explained. _'Meaning that no matter who he fights, he'll almost always have at least one way to beat his opponent.'_ Granted the anime always seemed to like to fuck around with that concept so that even the protagonist can lose, but I digress. _'Some people even call Aichi a master stacker.'_ That only got a look of confusion from Louisa. _'A person that stacks rigs the cards in their deck so they get exactly what they need exactly when they need it.'_

"But isn't that cheating?" Louisa questioned.

' _Well his deck_ is _shuffled, so he's definitely not physically placing the cards he needs where he wants them, but it shuffles in such a way that he just wins.'_ More confusion from her. _'How do I put this… Some people I know like to argue that the units themselves want Aichi to win, while others argue it's just a matter of him having an exceptionally strong image of victory. Both cases have their merits though.'_ I looked down at the box attached to my waist. _'Though I have the feeling these cards could beat him if it came down to a fight between us.'_

I blinked after realizing we were already at Card Capital. "Oh, looks like we're here. Well then, let's head inside." Louisa and I walked inside and found that the place was already pretty crowded. Hearing a meow off to my left, I saw a cat lying down lazily on the counter.

"Ah, that's right. This place has a cat for a mascot…" I muttered.

"Well officially he's the Sub-Manager, but I guess you're not too far off there." I turned again and saw Shin coming out from the back. "It's nice to see you again, Kazuya. Come on in, we're just about to get started."

"Well, thanks…" I replied distractedly as I looked around at the other occupants of the shop. I saw mostly familiar faces, including Aichi, Izaki, Morikawa, Misaki, Kamui, Kai, and a guy wearing a ninja costume. A few others I didn't recognize were also present. One guy that caught my attention for a second though was a teenager with chin-length brown hair and icy blue eyes wearing a gold shirt, silver jacket, jeans, and dark shoes.

Well at least he knows how to be stylish- Hey wait a minute!

Why do I have the weirdest sense of deja vu with this guy?

Wait… no…

No…

No! I'm _so_ done with this shit!

' _LOUISA!'_ I nearly screamed in my head.

"H-Huh?!" she managed with a jump.

If I could see my own face right now, I'm damn sure I'd look super triggered.

That's because I am.

' _WHY IN THE GODDAMN HELL IS KIRA YAMATO HERE?!'_ I demanded.

"Wait… who?"

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

' _In my world there's a show called Gundam SEED and the main character is named Kira Yamato.'_ I explained as calmly as possible. _'In short, he's the new age Jesus-'_

"... Can we kill him?"

The hell?!

' _No we can't kill him…'_ I sighed in my thoughts. I looked at the demon girl and she was pouting. ' _... Yet. We can't kill him_ yet _.'_ Her face instantly brightened.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" The Kira clone suddenly asked, looking right at me.

"No, it's nothing." I waved off.

"Hey wait, have I seen you somewhere...?" he suddenly questioned.

"Like I said, I'm sure it's nothing." I answered flatly. This deja vu thing is getting way too weird… First Misaki, now him?

"Well… okay." He tilted his head in confusion, shrugged it off, and went back to his own devices.

Soon everything had gotten under control and the contestants had gathered in one corner of the shop with Shin standing before us, microphone in hand, and the Sub-Manager sleeping on a table.

"Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to what will hopefully be the first of many tournaments here at Card Capital!" he announced. "I'm Nitta Shin, the manager here at this fine establishment, and today I'll be hosting the event and refereeing as well..."

As Shin continued talking, I glanced down at my belt towards the pouch with my deck inside. I smirked to myself. _'Time to show everyone what I can do.'_ I thought to myself.

"... Please adhere to the basic rules of Vanguard," Shin continued. "Any evidence that suggests cheating will earn you immediate disqualification. But other than that, have fun!" He turned to the snoozing cat. "Sub-Manager, will you please reveal the pairings for the first round?"

However, the cat continued to sleep.

"Really? Please! I'm begging you! I'll get you that salmon you like so much!" Shin pleaded. The Sub-Manager's ears seemed to perk up and he stood from his nap, clawing at the first strip of paper covering the pairings, revealing only those in A-block. "J-Just one?! Oh, fine, I'll get you a big box of fish treats too if you get the others!" With that, the cat meowed happily and slashed away at the other coverings, revealing the other three sets of matches.

 **A Block: Aichi vs. Izaki / Ninja Master M vs. Judai  
B Block: Misaki vs. Morikawa / Kazuya vs. Kurogasa  
C Block: Kamui vs. Anzu / Yugi vs. Yuma  
D Block: Kai vs. Seto / Yusei vs. Yuya**

Oh, so I'm fighting someone named Kurogasa- Hey wait a minute!

"Black Hat"… oh geez…

Also, what in the bloody hell is up with these other names?

* * *

And so the tournament began with Aichi and Misaki's matches. I watched Aichi like a hawk and noted that he only ever used two Grade 3's; _Solitary Knight, Gancelot_ and _King of Knights, Alfred_. With that in mind, I was able to deduce exactly where I was in the order of events as I remembered them from the anime. Now all that's left is to see how things go with me added into the mix.

And then came Misaki's match against Morikawa…

I'm not even gonna say anything. That match was _not_ worth my time. It was over way too quickly.

Kamui and Kai's matches were fairly straightforward and par for the course as far as they were concerned, so I had no doubts they'd be making it to the next round.

And finally, after Ninja Master M won his match, it was my turn.

"And at last we come to the second fight of B-block, featuring Kazuya going against Kurogasa!" Shin spoke into the microphone as I walked up to the standing fight table. Just as I was about to call out the name of my first victim, I saw the teen from before dressed in his stylish outfit walking up as well.

' _So it's him…'_ I mused in my thoughts.

"Well, looks like you and I get to fight it out." Kurogasa stated.

"I guess so." I shrugged indifferently. "Well, let's get this going."

"Right." Kurogasa nodded before placing his deck down and his Grade 0 in the Vanguard circle face-down and drawing out his starting hand. I did the same and waited for Shin to speak again.

"Now, are both fighters ready?" he asked. The two of us nodded. "Alright, then you can begin."

" **STAND UP! (MY) VANGUARD!"**

 _On Cray, our astral forms floated up in the sky with a massive bed of clouds below us. Kurogasa transformed into a short boy with brown hair and brown eyes; wearing a sleeveless white robe that fell to his knees, brown sandals, and a green wreath on his head. The unit was also holding a golden staff with a trophy at its tip, and a pair of white wings could be seen sprouting from his back._ **[Victory Angel - 4000 Power]**

" _Victory Angel_!"

 _Meanwhile, across from the angel, I transformed into my green-armored knight._ **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

" _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_!"

I heard the crowd murmuring to each other, likely at the sight of my cards, though admittedly I was confused by Kurogasa's _Victory Angel_ too, being a unit I've never heard of.

"What kind of cards are those?"

"I've never seen them before."

"Are they new clans?"

' _What the hell is that card?'_ I wondered. _'It doesn't exist in my world…'_

Apparently, Kurogasa had the same exact expression when he saw _my_ card. "New clan?" He asked.

"That's right." I answered plainly. I smirked. "Meet the Megaten."

"Megaten huh?" Kurogasa commented. "Well meet _my_ clan, the Courier Saints."

"..." Louisa was standing next to me the whole time, a sour look on her face as she looked at Kurogasa's card.

' _What's up?'_ I muttered in my thoughts.

"It's nothing…" she answered halfheartedly.

Well she's a demon, so…

"Do you want me to start?" Kurogasa offered.

"Go ahead." I shrugged.

"Alright then. Draw." Kurogasa said, drawing his sixth card. "I Ride _Command Angel_!"

Victory Angel _glowed and changed form into a blonde man with blue eyes and a pair of feathered wings on his back. He wore a silver, short–sleeved combat shirt, a gold vest, a pair of forest green camouflage pants, black combat boots, and a sash of bullets wrapped around his torso. On his sides, he was armed with a pair of sidearms. To top it off, he wore a green beret bearing a wing insignia on the front._ **[Command Angel - 8000 Power]**

"I move _Victory Angel_ back." Kurogasa added, moving the Grade 0 card to the bottom left of the mat.

 _A pillar of light gave way to_ Victory Angel _as he reappeared off to the side._ **[Victory Angel - 4000 Power]**

"Turn end."

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Victory Angel  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Command Angel** / Empty  
 **Damage:** None **  
Hand:** 5

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Fairy Knight, Tam Lin** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty/ Empty  
 **Damage:** None **  
Hand:** 5

"I'm up." I said as I drew my card. "I ride _Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras_."

Tam Lin _transformed into my blue-skinned dancer, taking a stance as if ready to fight._ **[Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras - 8000 Power]**

"I call _Ice Spirit, Jack Frost_ and _Lost Soul, Pyro Jack_." I continued as I placed two more cards down in my front row.

 _On Cray, appearing alongside_ Apsaras _was the pudgy snowman wearing a blue jester cap and blue slippers. Appearing to_ Apsaras' _left was the floating pumpkin head wearing a cloak and carrying a lantern._ **[Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - 6000 Power] [Lost Soul, Pyro Jack - 7000 Power]**

" _Tam Lin_ moves back," I added as I slid my Grade 0 unit out of the soul and behind _Apsaras_ , with the same occurring on Cray. **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

"Get ready…" I said cryptically as I waved my hand over my front row units. " _Jack Frost_! _Pyro Jack_! Change!"

"Change…?" several spectators muttered amongst themselves.

"There he goes again!" Morikawa blurted out, suddenly pointing at my cards.

"You're _still_ there?" I asked flatly, causing the Grade 3 lover to grumble. "You already lost, so bail out." Once again, he grumbled something incoherent.

"Using this ability, I'm allowed to swap the positions of any two of my units in the front row." I explained with a smirk as I changed the positions of _Jack Frost_ and _Pyro Jack_ , with them now appearing in their brother's former circle.

"And what does that accomplish exactly?" Kurogasa asked in confusion.

I smirked again. " _Jack Frost's_ Change skill activates!" I announced. "I can Soul Charge to draw a card." I placed the top card of my deck into the soul before picking up the one after that and adding it to my hand.

 **[Soul Charge - Horseman of War, Red Rider - No Trigger]**

"And next comes _Pyro Jack's_ Change skill!" I added as I took _Red Rider_ from the soul and simply placed it in the drop zone. "I can Soul Blast to draw another card." I nodded to myself as I saw what my next draw had in store. "Ah, and then _Apsaras_ has a neat little skill as well. When I activate a Change skill, I get to draw _another_ card." I nodded once again as I looked at my replenished hand.

" _You_ sure don't waste any time." Kurogasa blinked.

"Oh, but it doesn't stop there, Black Hat." I smirked.

"..." Kurogasa's eye twitched while sweat dropping.

"Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _Apsaras_ attacks the Vanguard!" I announced, enjoying the annoyed look on his face.

"No guard." Kurogasa replied.

"Drive Trigger check," I announced as I flipped over the top card of the deck.

 **[Drive Check - Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - No Trigger]**

Apsaras _spread her arms out as she received_ Tam Lin's _power._ **[8000 Power + 5000 Power = 13000 Power]** _She then spun in a full circle once as shards of ice materialized around her. The projectiles rocketed towards_ Command Angel _and struck him in the chest, causing the angel to grunt in pain from the hard impacts._

"Damage Trigger, check," Kurogasa said, revealing the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Angel Knight, Haniel - No Trigger]**

' _My other rear-guards don't have enough power right now, so…'_ I mused. "That's my turn."

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Victory Angel  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Command Angel** / Empty  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [U] **  
Hand:** 5

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack / **Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras** / Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty  
 **Damage:** None **  
Hand:** 7

"Stand and draw." Kurogasa said, drawing his next card to make his hand at six. He smiled and closed his eyes before he raised a card in the air.

" _ **A guardian's duty is to defend those who can't fight for themselves! Protect them with your life, my avatar! Ride! Guardian Saint, Alexander!"**_

 _White feathers flew around_ Command Angel _as he transformed into an angel with medium length brown hair and glowing blue eyes. He wore heavy silver armor that covered the entirety of his body save for his head, including large gauntlets. He also had golden fringes on his arms and legs and two pairs of feathered wings on his back. As he flew around, he pulled out a white sword with a red gem near the hilt and pointed it at_ Apsaras _, ready for battle._ **[Guardian Saint, Alexander - 9000 Power]**

"Whoa, he has a chant too." Izaki noted. "Kinda like yours Aichi."

"And I think Kazuya had one also." Miwa pointed out. "Must be getting popular or something."

"Call! _Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame_! _Angel Knight, Haniel_!"

 _Two pillars of light shot up towards the sky and in front of_ Victory Angel _was a feminine angel with long silver hair with a pair of white wings, wearing a silver dress and white sandals while holding a glowing yellow bow with two halo-like circles in the center. Behind_ Alexander _was a young black haired man wearing grayish-silver armor on most of his body except for his hands and legs. His wings stuck out from the back of his armor and he held a shortsword and shield in his hands._ **[Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame - 9000 Power] [Angel Knight, Haniel - 7000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Haniel_ , _Alexander_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kurogasa declared, turning his cards sideways.

"No guard." I responded.

"Drive Trigger, check," Kurogasa stated before revealing the top card and it glowed red. "Draw Trigger, 5000 Power goes to _Seraphiel_ and I get to draw an extra card."

 **[Drive Check - Stamp Falcon - Draw Trigger]**

Haniel _glowed and transferred all of his energy to_ Alexander _, who glowed even brighter._ **[9000 Power + 8000 = 17000 Power]** _With his sword brandished, he flew towards_ Apsaras _and struck her with his sword while_ Seraphiel _glowed with extra power,_ **[9000 Power + 5000 Power = 14000 Power]**.

"Damage trigger check." I stated as I revealed the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Victory Angel_ , _Seraphiel_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kurogasa said next, turning the cards sideways.

"I guard with _Horseman of War, Red Rider_ , _Horseman of Famine, Black Rider_ , and _Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras_!" I countered as I slapped the cards down onto the Guardian Circle.

Victory Angel _glowed white and transferred his power to_ Seraphiel. **[14000 Power + 4000 Power = 18000 Power]**. Seraphiel _loaded her bow with a golden arrow and the tip was set ablaze before shooting it. However, appearing in front of_ Apsaras _was an identical copy of herself albeit with a greenish tint to her skin, and a skeletal figure covered by a black cloak and carrying a sword with a long blade riding atop a crimson horse. Galloping in next to him was another cloaked skeletal figure carrying a set of silver scales and riding atop a black horse._ **[8000 Power + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 23000 Power]**

"Tch… turn end." Kurogasa concluded.

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Angel Knight, Haniel / Victory Angel  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Guardian Saint, Alexander** / Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [U] **  
Hand:** 5

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack / **Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras** / Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty  
 **Damage:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost [U] **  
Hand:** 4

"Stand and draw," I said as I began my turn. I smirked, held a card up in the air, and began to chant.

" _ **Strike the opposition with your dance of swords as your crimson armor shines! Crush the foolish oppression, my avatar! Ride! Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune!"**_

Apsaras _glowed with a greenish light and transformed into my crimson-armored swordsman, drawing out his twin blades and preparing for a fight._ **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power]**

" _Jack Frost_ and _Pyro Jack_ will change again." I announced as I swapped my units' positions again. "And that activates their skills. First, I Soul Charge with _Jack Frost_ to draw a card,"

 **[Soul Charge - Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth - No Trigger]**

"And _Pyro Jack_ lets me Soul Blast to draw another one." I added as I took _Thoth_ out from the soul and drew another card. "Next _Jack Frost_ and _Pyro Jack_ move back. And then I call _Heavenly King, Zouchouten_ and _Heavenly King, Komokuten_!"

 _The Jack brothers leapt back as two new figures appeared next to_ Yoshitsune _on either side of him. One was the orange-skinned warrior clad in burgundy armor from my fight with Kamui yesterday while the other was a figure almost identical to him, but with greenish skin, brown hair, and blue armor over his white Buddhist robe._ **[Heavenly King, Komokuten - 9000 Power] [Heavenly King, Zouchouten - 9000 Power]**

"And let me guess, you're gonna Change them to activate those units' skills." Kurogasa deducted.

"It's how my deck operates, so can it." I retorted with a glare. "Now if you're done, I can only activate my units' Change skill once per turn, but that doesn't mean I'm locked out of it. Allow me to demonstrate." I gestured to _Zouchouten_. "When _Zouchouten_ is called to the rear-guard while my opponent's Vanguard is at least Grade 2, I get to change with my Vanguard!" On cue, I switched around _Zouchouten_ with _Yoshitsune_.

 _On Cray, the two units did the same, transforming into greenish data before reforming in each other's former positions._

"And when _Yoshitsune_ changes, I can Counter Blast…" I explained as I flipped over the _Jack Frost_ in my damage zone. "…And for the rest of the turn he gets 2000 Power! Not only that, but he's going Critical!"

"What?" Kurogasa gasped.

Yoshitsune _brandished his blades as his power shot up._ **[9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / Critical: 1-2]**

"And then with _Komokuten's_ skill, I Soul Blast to stand one of my changed units!" I added as I emptied out my soul, standing _Zouchouten_ back up. I smirked. "Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _Zouchouten_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"No guard." Kurogasa frowned.

"Drive Trigger, check." I stated as I flipped over the top card.

 **[Drive Check - Deception Beast, Kabuso - Stand Trigger]**

"Stand Trigger! I give the power to _Zouchouten_ and I stand my _Jack Frost_ that was changed."

 _The Buddhist warrior charged forward with his fist pulled back and slammed it into_ Alexander's _chest, sending the angel flying back from the impact._ **[9000 Power + 5000 Power = 14000 Power]**

"Damage Trigger, check." Kurogasa said, revealing the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Heaven's Defender, Raziel - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Pyro Jack_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard!" I announced.

"And that's where I stop you!" Kurogasa countered. " _Victory Angel's_ skill! By discarding a Courier Saint, I can put him in the Guardian Circle right now!"

"The hell-?" I gasped as he moved his Grade 0 into the Guardian Circle. "A skill like that… so he's using a defensive strategy..."

Pyro Jack _transferred his power to_ Yoshitune. **[11000 Power + 7000 Power = 18000 Power]** _However, before he could attack,_ Victory Angel _shot forward and stopped in front of_ _Alexander to protect him_. **[9000 Power + 10000 Shield = 19000 Power]**

"Alright then. Boosted by _Jack Frost_ , _Komokuten_ attacks _Seraphiel_!" I announced, deciding to get rid of any chances he had to intercept.

"Guard! _Fleetfoot Angel_!" Kurogasa countered.

Komokuten charged forward and prepared to strike after receiving Jack Frost's power, but as he got within striking distance of Seraphiel, he was stopped by a small angel with blue hair wearing a white mailman's uniform with small, white wings and a timid expression on his face. **[9000 Power + 10000 Shield = 19000 Power]**

"Hm… I end my turn there." I finished. _'This might be tougher than I expected. I wasn't anticipating someone who played so defensively like this.'_

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Angel Knight, Haniel / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Guardian Saint, Alexander** / Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [U], Heaven's Defender, Raziel [U] **  
Hand:** 3

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Heavenly King, Komokuten / **Heavenly King, Zouchouten** / Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Damage:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost [F] **  
Hand:** 5

"Stand and draw!" He drew his next card, putting his hand at four. He then held the card near his forehead and chanted.

" _ **The mail will pass through no matter the cost! Clear the way, Road of Heaven! Ride! Postmaster General, Michael!"**_

Alexander _glowed brightly and a beam of light shot towards the sky, making the clouds disperse. Descending was a 7 ft man with silver and blue armor, with his headpiece being similar to that of a postman's cap. Equipped to his arms were gauntlets with two serrated swords that stuck out and on his back were a large pair of white feathered wings. In his hand was a golden sword with intricate designs that he pointed at_ Zouchouten. **[Postmaster General, Michael - 11000 Power]**

"And get this, when _Guardian Saint, Alexander_ is rode by a Grade 3 Courier Saint, I can take him out of the Soul and place him in the Rear Guard!"

"Tch!" I hissed at the implications of a Grade 2 Forerunner as Kurogasa took _Alexander_ from the soul and placed it next to _Michael_.

 _Appearing next to_ Michael _was the armored angel, drawing his sword and preparing for battle alongside his leader._ **[Guardian Saint, Alexander - 9000 Power]**

"Call! _Command Angel_!" Kurogasa said, placing one more card behind _Alexander_.

 _A pillar of light shot through the sky and the military cadet angel appeared once again._ **[Command Angel - 8000 Power]**

" _Seraphiel_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kurogasa said, turning the card sideways.

"No guard." I announced.

Seraphiel _drew her bow with her golden arrow lit ablaze before firing. It hit_ Zouchouten _square on the chest, making him yell in pain._ **[9000 Power]**

"Damage Trigger, check." I said as I looked at the top card. It gave off a reddish light the second I flipped it over.

 **[Damage Check - Infernal Demon, Melchom - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger! I give the power to my Vanguard and I draw." I declared. **[9000 Power + 5000 Power = 14000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Haniel_ , _Michael_ attacks your Vanguard, plus I activate his skill!" Kurogasa said. "I Counter Blast and discard a copy of _Michael_ , so when this attack hits, your rear guard can't boost on your next turn!"

"Then I'll stop you in your tracks, Black Hat!" I countered. "The attack is nullified with _Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn_!" I placed _Cu Chulainn_ down on the Guardian Circle and discarded one of my other cards before smirking.

"Twin Drive, check." Kurogasa said, revealing the top two cards which both glowed yellow. "Double Critical! All effects go to _Alexander_!"

 **[Drive Check - Assault Pigeon - Critical Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Assault Pigeon - Critical Trigger]**

' _Alright, I see your game,'_ I mused.

Haniel _transferred all of his power to_ Michael _and the latter glowed with a fierce golden aura_ **[11000 Power + 7000 Power = 18000 Power]** _He then flew towards the opposing Vanguard, with his golden sword shining bright and ready to strike, but it was blocked by my silver-armored warrior with dark hair, holding his spear defensively in order to block_ Michael's _attack._ **[Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn - Shield: 0]**

"Boosted by _Command Angel_ , _Alexander_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kurogasa declared, turning the last cards sideways.

I looked at my small hand and frowned. "No guard."

Command Angel _transferred his power to_ Alexander _, whose aura intensified._ **[9000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power + 8000 Power = 27000 Power / Critical: 1-3]** _He then flew towards_ Zouchouten _and slashed him with his sword before flying back._

"Damage Trigger, check." I stated as I flipped over three cards, my eyes widening at what was there.

 **[Damage Check - Heavenly King, Jikokuten - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Magical Trickster, Pixie - Heal Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Magical Trickster, Pixie - Heal Trigger]**

"What the-?!" Miwa gasped.

"Did he just-!" I heard Aichi question, sounding visibly shocked.

"No way!" Kurogasa exclaimed. "Double Heal Trigger?!"

I smirked. "I give all effects to _Zouchouten_ and I recover two damage." I announced.

"I… end my turn." Kurogasa said, looking very stunned and unsure how to respond to my miracle.

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Command Angel / Angel Knight, Haniel / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Guardian Saint, Alexander / **Postmaster General, Michael** / Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [F], Heaven's Defender, Raziel [F] **  
Hand:** 3

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Heavenly King, Komokuten / **Heavenly King, Zouchouten** / Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Damage:** Magical Trickster, Pixie [U], Magical Trickster, Pixie [U] **  
Hand:** 4

"Stand and draw." I said. I took another card from my hand and held it up.

" _ **The shining dragon that reigns over the celestial plain now unleashes its prideful roar throughout this world! Ride! Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long!"**_

 _Emerging from a pillar of golden flame that used to be_ Zouchouten _was my signature golden dragon, roaring proudly as bio-electricity sparked across its body and it stared down at Michael intently._ **[Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - 11000 Power]**

"And you know what comes next, right?" I asked with a mad smirk. " _Huang Long_ and _Yoshitsune_ will change!" I swapped around my units, reducing my Vanguard to Grade 2 once again. "When _Yoshitsune_ changes, I Counter Blast to give him 2000 Power and an extra Critical!"

"Gh…!" Kurogasa gritted his teeth.

 _Once again,_ Yoshitsune _brandished his swords as he powered up considerably._ **[9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / Critical: 1-2]**

"And now for the fun part," I added. "When _Huang Long_ changes, not only does he gain 2000 Power, but during this turn, your Triggers are null and void!" **[11000 Power + 2000 Power = 13000 Power]**

"!" Kurogasa's eyes widened considerably. The rest of the audience was in an uproar.

"And now for _Huang Long's_ other skill. Persona Blast!" I added as I discarded a card from my hand. "By discarding a copy of _Huang Long_ , I'm allowed to retire one of your rear-guards with a Grade less than one of my changed units."

"No!" Kurogasa cursed.

I pointed at _Alexander_ and smirked. " _Alexander_ retires." I stated evenly.

Huang Long's _body gave off more electricity than before, portions of it branching away and hitting_ Alexander _square in the chest, the latter disappearing into motes of lights._

"And now for _Komokuten's_ skill." I continued, much to Kurogasa's fear. "I Soul Blast to stand _Huang Long_!"

"He's relentless…" Izaki said in surprise.

"That's a lot of raw power going into his attacks." Misaki added.

"Boosted by _Jack Frost_ , _Komokuten_ attacks your Vanguard!" I declared.

"Guard! _Assault Pigeon_!" Kurogasa countered.

 _The Buddhist fighter rushed forward after receiving his comrade's power._ **[9000 Power + 6000 Power = 15000 Power]** _Unfortunately, he was stopped by a pigeon with dark orange eyes. Its body was gold with wings colored in white. On its head was a pilot helmet with a visor over its eyes and its wings had metal pieces attached, loaded with machine guns and missiles._ **[11000 Power + 10000 Shield = 21000 Power]**

"Hm…" I looked at Kurogasa intently for a second before continuing. "Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"No guard…" Kurogasa replied.

"Drive Trigger, check." I added while looking at the top card.

 **[Drive Check - Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn - No Trigger]**

Yoshitsune _rushed forward at_ Michael _and leapt into the air, brandishing his swords as he flipped once through the air and brought his weapons down in one clean slash._

"Damage Trigger, check." Kurogasa said, revealing the top two cards.

 **[Damage Check - Inventor Saint, Barachiel - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Rainbow Wings - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Pyro Jack_ , _Huang Long_ attacks the Vanguard!" I continued, turning my final units sideways.

"Guard! _Assault Pigeon_!" Kurogasa countered.

 _The golden dragon rose up and roared at_ Michael _. Lightning was discharged from its horns, aimed at the angel, but before it could hit, the armed pigeon flew down from the air and took the hit for its leader, vanishing in a shower of motes of light._

"I'll end from there." I finished.

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Command Angel / Angel Knight, Haniel / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Postmaster General, Michael** / Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [F], Heaven's Defender, Raziel [F], Inventor Saint, Barachiel [U], Rainbow Wings [U] **  
Hand:** 1

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Heavenly King, Komokuten / **Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune** / Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Damage:** Magical Heal Trickster [F], Magical Heal Trickster [U] **  
Hand:** 4

"Stand… and draw." Kurogasa managed to say as he increased his hand to two. "Call. _Throne Courier, Sahaquiel_."

 _Another unit appeared, and this time it was a young man with brown hair peaking out of his green mailman's hat. He also wore green knight's armor and held a large yellow-and-gray bazooka on his shoulders. Sprouting out from his back were slightly greyed out wings._ **[Throne Courier, Sahaquiel – 8000 Power]**

"Next I activate _Haniel's_ skill, and I'll Counter Blast two to have his Power go up by 2000." Kurogasa said, flipping the two cards over.

Haniel _glowed white, while surging with power._ **[7000 Power + 2000 Power = 9000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Command Angel_ , _Sahaquiel_ attacks your Vanguard." Kurogasa said, turning the two cards sideways.

"No guard."

Command Angel _transferred his power over to_ Sahaquiel **[8000 Power + 8000 Power = 16000 Power]** _and the latter knelt on one knee with his bazooka mounted on his shoulder before firing the rocket. The projectile whizzed through the air before it hit its target, exploding on contact._

"Damage trigger, check." I said while flipping over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Haniel_ , _Michael_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kurogasa declared next, turning the cards sideways.

"Guard! Two copies of _Horseman of War, Red Rider_! And _Komokuten_ intercepts!" I countered as I slapped down two cards from my hand and moved _Komokuten_ to the Guardian Circle. **[9000 Power + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 24000 Power]**

"Twin Drive, check!" Kurogasa declared and revealed the top two cards.

 **[Drive Check - Assault Pigeon - Critical Trigger]**

 **[Drive Check - Stamp Falcon - Draw Trigger]**

"Critical and Draw! All effects of the Critical go to _Michael_ while the effects for Draw go to _Seraphiel_!" Kurogasa grinned.

"Tch!" I hissed.

Haniel _glowed with power as_ Michael _powered up and glowed brighter due to the extra power of the trigger effect._ **[11000 Power + 9000 Power + 5000 Power = 25000 Power / Critical: 1-2]** Michael _then spread his wings as his sword glowed before he flew towards the Guardians and slashed them without remorse, then slashing the Vanguard_ Yoshitsune _._

"Damage trigger, check." I stated before flipping over two cards.

 **[Damage Check - Divine Virtue, Sraosha - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Infernal Demon, Melchom - Draw Trigger]**

"Looks like two can play that game," I mused. "The power goes to my Vanguard and I draw." **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power + 5000 Power = 14000 Power]**

" _Seraphiel_ attacks your Vanguard!" Kurogasa said, turning the card sideways.

' _Their Powers are equal right now, so…'_ I thought to myself. "Guard! _Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth_!"

 _After playing my card, a white baboon clothed in Egyptian garb and carrying a book with the Eye of Horus on the front cover appeared in front of_ Yoshitsune _to protect him._

"Tch… I end my turn,"

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Command Angel / Angel Knight, Haniel / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Throne Courier, Sahaquiel / **Postmaster General, Michael** / Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [F], Heaven's Defender, Raziel [F], Inventor Saint, Barachiel [U], Rainbow Wings [U] **  
Hand:** 4

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune** / Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Damage:** Magical Heal Trickster [F], Magical Heal Trickster [U], Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras [U], Divine Virtue, Sraosha [U], Infernal Demon, Melchom [U] **  
Hand:** 1

"Stand and draw." I announced as I began my turn. "You know what, you're not half-bad."

"Eh?" Kurogasa got out.

"You've pushed me pretty far, and I have to give you props for that." I explained. I then lifted a card up into the air. "But I'm sorry to say that it ends here."

"It's not over until the last card is played,"

"Oh, then by all means, it's over." I smirked. "Ride! _Heavenly King, Bishamonten_!"

 _Appearing in place of_ Yoshitsune _was a tall, older man dressed in green robes with gold accents and a red draping that covered his shoulders and arms, acting like a second set of sleeves. Strapped to the figure's back were several swords with curved blades, and in each hand was a pair of objects; one being a golden candle and the other being a golden weapon shaped vaguely like a trident._ **[Heavenly King, Bishamonten - 10000 Power]**

"What? A new unit?" Kamui gawked.

"I've never seen that one before," Aichi mused.

"I'm afraid to find out what that does," Kurogasa said nervously.

"Call! _Horseman of Famine, Black Rider_!" I said as I placed my dark-colored horseman carrying the silver scales in my front row. **[Horseman of Famine, Black Rider - 8000 Power]**

"And next comes _Bishamonten's_ skill. Counter Blast! And Soul Charge!" I announced as I flipped over one card in my damage zone and took my top two cards and put them into the Soul.

 **[Soul Charge - Heavenly King, Komokuten - No Trigger]  
[Soul Charge - Horseman of Death, Pale Rider - No Trigger]**

"And by doing that I can take one of my rear-guards and Change it with a unit in the Soul." I stated.

"His units can Change in the Soul too?" Aichi asked in wonder.

" _Black Rider_ will change with _Yoshitsune_ in the Soul!" As I made my declaration, I placed _Black Rider_ in the Soul while taking out _Yoshitsune_ and placing him in the same space my old rear-guard had been. **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power]** "And next I use _Yoshitsune's_ Change skill! I Counter Blast to give him 2000 Power and an extra Critical!"

 _Having appeared next to_ Bishamonten _,_ Yoshitsune _now glowed with new power and he unsheathed his blades._ **[9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / Critical: 1-2]**

"And next I Change _Yoshitsune_ and _Huang Long_!" I added as I swapped my units' positions. "Doing so gives _Huang Long_ an extra 2000 Power and the ability to render your triggers this turn useless!"

 _On the battlefield, the golden dragon roared proudly as its power increased._ **[11000 Power + 2000 Power = 13000 Power]**

"And then to add onto that, _Bishamonten_ gets his Power boosted by 1000 for each _Heavenly King_ I have in the Soul. And right now, I have three." I added. **[10000 Power + 3000 Power = 13000 Power]** "Boosted by _Jack Frost_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard."

" _Sahaquiel_ will Intercept! When he's put in the Guardian Circle, he gains another 5000 Shield!"

"Hm… Alright then. Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _Bishamonten_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"No way! Perfect Guard! _Heaven's Defender, Raziel_! By discarding a card, your attack is nullified!" Kurogasa countered.

"We'll see how long that lasts! Twin Drive, check!" I smirked before flipping over two cards from the deck. I smirked even more once I saw what greeted me.

 **[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**

"Double Critical! All effects to _Huang Long_!"

"NO WAY!" Kamui gawked.

"Looks like you're not the only one with the devil's luck," I smirked. "Boosted by _Pyro Jack_ , _Huang Long_ attacks your Vanguard!"

Huang Long _, having received even more power, roared with such ferocity that it echoed throughout the sky._ **[13000 Power + 7000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 30000 Power]**

"Sorry, but your attack failed! Guard! _Assault Pigeon_! _Stamp Falcon_! _Seraphiel_ will Intercept! That's a grand total of 31000 Power!"

"That's where you're wrong."

"Huh?" Kurogasa said confused.

"I'm activating _Tam Lin's_ skill!" I announced. "When my Grade 2 or greater Megaten attacks, I can put _Tam Lin_ into the Soul to give the attacking unit another 2000 Power! Just enough to blow through your shield!"

"!" Kurogasa's eyes widened and his pupils shrank when I told him the bad news before he looked to his deck. "D-Damage check…"

 **[Damage Check - Staff Recoder, Judiel - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Mediator Angel - Heal Trigger]**

" _ **A light shining in the darkness… A proud shout that shakes the soul… Resonate! Dragon Cry!"**_

 _Lightning crackled around_ Huang Long's _body as its power surged. Golden flame built up in its mouth before the dragon hurled it forward in a continuous stream that grew larger by the second, eventually consuming Michael and his allies._

 **FINAL RESULTS:**

 **Kurogasa**  
 **Back Row:** Command Angel / Angel Knight, Haniel / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Postmaster General, Michael** / Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
 **Damage:** Angel Knight, Haniel [F], Heaven's Defender, Raziel [F], Inventor Saint, Barachiel [U], Rainbow Wings [U] Staff Recorder, Judiel [U], Mediator Angel [U] **  
Hand:** 0

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune / **Heavenly King, Bishamonten** / Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Damage:** Magical Trickster, Pixie [F], Magical Trickster, Pixie [F], Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras [U], Divine Virtue, Sraosha [U], Infernal Demon, Melchom [U] **  
Hand:** 3

"The winner, Minegishi Kazuya!" Shin announced and the crowd cheered.

"Well… that was a downer…" Kurogasa sighed to himself.

' _This kid is a lot stronger than he looks,'_ I mused in my thoughts. _'I wonder…_ ' "That was a pretty close game there. You almost had me." I smirked. "I'll be sure to remember you." And with that, I walked off to sit down at one of the tables and wait for the next round pairings.

"Kazuya, what are you thinking?"Louisa frowned.

' _I'm… just keeping him in mind for later.'_ I answered the demon.

"Liar…" Louisa said, "In case you didn't notice, I'm not a huge fan of angels,"

' _I can see that.'_ I fought the urge to roll my eyes. _'Just trust me. I know what I'm doing.'_

"Oh I trust you, I just don't trust _him_ ," She pointed at Kurogasa.

' _Oh c'mon, he wouldn't hurt a fly,'_ I said, _'And anyway, I'm more focused on this upcoming round right now, so we can talk more about this later.'_

"Alright everyone, now that the first round is over, we'll take a short ten minute break and then announce the next pairings." Shin called out to everyone.

I nodded to myself and glanced towards Aichi, who was talking with his friends. _'Just you wait. I'm coming for you next.'_ I thought to myself.

* * *

Horseman of War, Red Rider  
Grade 1  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Zombie  
Power - 7000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): Change  
** **[AUTO]: [Counter Blast (1)]** When this unit is changed, if the number of your other rear-guards is three or greater, you may pay the cost. If you do, this card gets +3000 Power until end of turn.

Heavenly King, Zouchouten  
Grade 2  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 9000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[AUTO]: [Choose a «Megaten» from your hand, and discard it]** When this unit is placed on (RC) from your hand or deck, if your opponent has a Grade 2 or greater Vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose your Vanguard, and **Change**.  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC): [Soul Charge (1) & Choose a unit named "Heavenly King, Zouchouten", a unit named "Heavenly King, Komokuten", and a unit named "Heavenly King, Jikokuten", from (VC) or (RC), and put them into your soul]** If your opponent's Vanguard is Grade 3 or greater, search your deck for up to one card named "Heavenly King, Bishamonten, ride it, and shuffle your deck.

Heavenly King, Bishamonten  
Grade 3  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Human  
Power - 10000  
 **[CONT]:** This unit gets +1000 Power for each card with "Heavenly King" in its card name in your Soul.  
 **[ACT] (VC): [Counter Blast (1) & Soul Charge (2)]** If the number of your «Megaten» rear-guards is two or more, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose one of your rear-guards, choose one card in your Soul, and **Change**.

 _(The above cards are my creation. All creative rights go to me.)_

Victory Angel  
Grade: 0  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 4000 / Shield: 10000  
[AUTO]: Forerunner  
[ACT] (RC): [Choose a «Courier Saint» from your Hand, and discard it] When your «Courier Saint» vanguard is attacked, you may pay the cost. If you do, move this unit to the (GC)

Assault Pigeon  
Grade: 0  
Trigger Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – High Beast  
Power: 4000 / Shield: 10000  
Critical Trigger  
[AUTO] (RC): [Put this unit into your Soul] If you have a «Courier Saint» Vanguard, choose a card from your Damage Zone, and turn it face up.

Fleet Foot Angel  
Grade: 0  
Trigger Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 5000 / Shield: 10000  
Stand Trigger

Stamp Falcon  
Grade: 0  
Trigger Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – High Beast  
Power: 5000 / Shield: 5000  
Draw Trigger  
[ACT] (RC) [Counterblast (1)]: When you call this unit to a (RC), if you have a «Courier Saint» vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, Move this unit to the Soul and draw two cards.

Mediator Angel  
Grade: 0  
Trigger Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 5000 / Shield: 10000  
Heal Trigger  
(You cannot put more than 4 Heal Triggers in a Deck.)

Heaven's Defender, Raziel  
Grade: 1  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 6000 / Shield: 0  
[CONT]: Sentinel  
[AUTO]: [Choose a «Courier Saint» from your Hand, and discard it] When this unit is placed on (GC), you may pay the cost. If you do, choose, one of your «Courier Saint» being attacked, and that unit cannot be hit until end of that battle.

Angel Knight, Haniel  
Grade: 1  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 7000 / Shield: 5000  
[ACT] (VC/RC): [Counterblast (1)]: This unit gets [Power] +1000 until the End Phase.

Command Angel  
Grade: 1  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race –Angel  
Power: 8000 / Shield: 5000

Throne Courier, Sahaquiel  
Grade: 2  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 8000 / Shield: 5000  
[AUTO]: When this unit Intercepts, if you have a «Courier Saint» Vanguard, this unit gets [Shield] +5000 until the end of that battle.

Seraphiel, Messenger of the Holy Flame  
Grade: 2  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 9000 / Shield: 5000  
[AUTO]: [Choose a «Courier Saint» from your Hand, and discard it] When this unit Intercepts, if you have a «Courier Saint» Vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, during that battle's Close Step, call this unit to an open (RC), and this unit loses 'Intercept' until the End Phase.

Guardian Saint, Alexander  
Grade: 2  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 9000 / Shield: 5000  
[AUTO]: When a «Courier Saint» rides this unit, you may Call this unit to an open (RC).  
[AUTO]: When this unit is placed on (RC), if you have a «Courier Saint» Vanguard, this Unit gets _"[AUTO] (RC): When your «Courier Saint» Vanguard is attacked and this unit Intercepts, this unit gets [Shield] +5000 until the end of that battle."_ until your next Stand Phase.

Postmaster General, Michael  
Grade: 3  
Normal Unit  
Clan – Courier Saint  
Race – Angel  
Power: 11000  
[CONT] (VC/RC)]: If you have a non–«Courier Saint» vanguard or (RG), this unit gets [Power] –2000.  
[AUTO] (VC): [Counterblast (2) & choose a card named 'Postmaster General, Michael' from your Hand and discard it] When this unit's attack hits a Vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, during your Opponent's next turn, their Grade 1 and 0 (RG) cannot [Boost].

 _(The above cards were created by Fenikkusumaru. All creative rights go to him.)_


	5. The Unrelenting Sun Goddess

**Shin Megami Tensei: Vanguard**

 **Grade 4**

 **The Unrelenting Sun Goddess**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard or the Megami Tensei franchise. All creative rights go to their respective owners, Bushiroad and Atlus. I do however, own the Megaten clan and my OC's Minegishi Kazuya and Louisa Ferre. Fenikkusumaru owns his OC Kururugi Kurogasa and the Courier Saints clan.**_

* * *

After my victory against Kurogasa, I went to take a seat while the ten-minute intermission passed. I took out my deck and began looking through it intently, rereading every card and every effect.

"You're serious all of a sudden," Louisa noted.

' _It can't be helped.'_ I answered back in my thoughts. _'Now is when all the strong fighters are weeded out. I can't afford to mess up in my matches, so I have to make sure I know every possible combo with this deck.'_

"I know you said Aichi could be trouble, but what about everyone else?"

' _Kamui may not look it, but he's much stronger than my fight with him yesterday let on.'_ I explained. _'Kai has the qualifications to be a pro, so he'd be an issue; and then Misaki… Well I guess you'll see for yourself soon enough. I should be going against her next.'_

"Alright, everyone! Now that we've had our little intermission, it's time to start the next round!" Shin announced once ten minutes had passed. Another minute or so went by before the next round pairings were posted up for everyone to see.

 **A Block: Aichi vs. Ninja Master M  
B Block: Misaki vs. Kazuya  
C Block: Kamui vs. Yuma  
D Block: Kai vs. Yusei**

"Thought so…" I muttered to myself after seeing the resulting pairs.

"Everyone make sure to do your best! I expect to see some exciting cardfights!" Shin added before stepping off to the side.

"Kazuya," I turned to see Misaki walking towards me. I nodded in greeting. "I hope we can have a good cardfight."

"Sure thing." I answered. "I won't be holding anything back."

"Great. In that case I'll give my all too." she replied and smiled before walking away.

"Dude, you're something else!"

I turned to see someone else approaching me as Misaki left; a young man with stylish brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue school uniform like the ones worn by Miwa and Kai, which led me to assume he went to the same school. As a personal touch he also wore a yellow scarf around his neck. The young man stopped in front of me with this sort of excited look on his face.

"Well, thanks…" I replied while putting my cards down.

"I mean it man! That last match was sweet!" the young man added. "Those cards of yours are awesome too. What did you call them, "Megaten"?" He glanced down at the table where my cards were laid out. "That's them! Hey, mind if I take a look?"

"Sure, but-" But before I could finish my sentence, the new guy had picked up some of my cards and was reading through them like he was a kid in a candy store. "So _who_ are you exactly?"

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot." the young man laughed before putting my cards down. "Shijima Daichi at your service. I'm a regular at this shop."

"That's nice," I replied back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm preparing for my match…" And with that I went back to looking through my deck.

"So, you and the counter girl, huh?" Daichi suddenly asked, all but ignoring what I said and prompting me to look up from the table again.

"What the hell are you on about now?" I deadpanned.

"I didn't know you had it in ya. It's pretty rare to see someone fall for her." Daichi replied.

"Oh please…" I rolled my eyes.

"No, seriously. When it comes to her, she's a complete turn-off for other men."

"I hope you realize I'm right here."

The two of us turned to see Misaki standing nearby glaring intensely at Daichi, who instantly tensed up.

"W-Whoa, don't worry! It's just a prank, I swear! It's a social experiment!" Daichi stammered.

More glares from Misaki. "I sure hope that's true." she said darkly.

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnd that's one point for the stoic badass.

Said stoic badass then turned to me and smiled again, just like that. "Don't listen to this idiot. I'm actually really nice to be with." she said.

"Trust me, I had no intention of taking him seriously to begin with." I replied as Daichi slumped over in depression.

"So cruel, both of you…" He muttered.

"Hey, you brought it on yourself, not me." I pointed out.

"That's true," Misaki said.

I would act concerned, but… Well I'm not much of an actor.

* * *

The tournament went on as normal after that little encounter. Aichi won his match against a guy who did a terrible job of acting as a ninja, Kamui managed to win his fight, and Kai didn't even break a sweat. And now with the last match of the round right in front of me, it was time for me to step up.

"We've now reached the final match for the semifinals!" Shin announced as everyone gathered around the table Misaki and I were fighting at. "To my left, we have the wild card of the event, Minegishi Kazuya, pioneer of the Megaten!" He then turned to his niece. "And at my right we have a skilled user of the Oracle Think Tank, my favorite niece, Tokura Misaki!" The audience clapped as the both of us prepped our decks, placed them down, and set our starting Vanguards before drawing our five cards. "Are both players ready?"

"Of course," I answered dismissively as I reached out for my Vanguard.

"Yes." Misaki replied as she did the same.

"Then let the game begin!" Shin declared.

"STAND UP! (MY) VANGUARD!"

 _The battlefield became a massive rocky plain with plateaus rising up in the distance. Nearby, a small pond could be seen that rippled as we emerged on Cray. I soon transformed into my signature starting unit; the green-armored warrior carrying a spear._ **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]**

" _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_!"

 _As for Misaki, she changed into a slightly taller and older version of herself wearing pink and white armor on her shoulders, legs and torso that hardly covered her body and a metallic wreath floated behind her head. She primed the white staff tipped with two diamond–shaped gems she held in her hands and looked towards me, prepared for battle._ **[Lozenge Magus - 3000 Power]**

" _Lozenge Magus_!"

"Ladies first." I offered.

"Thank you." Misaki smiled. "Draw." She announced, drawing the top card of her deck. "I Ride _Oracle Guardian, Gemini_!"

 _On the field,_ Lozenge Magus _transformed into two identical mechanical babies with yellow hair and metallic wing–like appendages on their backs, allowing them to levitate. Each of them had a happy but empty expression on their faces._ **[Oracle Guardian, Gemini - 8000 Power]**

"Since I rode this card on top of _Lozenge Magus_ , I can her move out of the Soul and place her in the Rear Guard." Misaki continued, moving _Lozenge Magus_ behind _Oracle Guardian, Gemini_.

 _On the battlefield,_ Lozenge Magus _reappeared behind the Vanguard._ **[Lozenge Magus - 3000 Power]**

"That ends my turn." Misaki finished.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Fairy Knight, Tam Lin** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Empty / **Oracle Guardian, Gemini** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Lozenge Magus / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

"I draw," I said as I drew my sixth card. I looked at the cards I had and turned up the corner of my mouth. _'Here's an interesting combination I haven't tried yet…'_ I then plucked a card from my hand. "And I ride _Horseman of Conquest, White Rider_!"

Tam Lin _transformed into the cloaked skeletal figure riding on his stark white horse and carrying a longsword, with his mount neighing as it galloped forward._ **[Horseman of Conquest, White Rider - 6000 Power]**

" _Tam Lin_ moves back," I added as I slid my Grade 0 behind _White Rider_. "Next I call _Lost Soul, Pyro Jack_!"

 _Appearing to the left of my horseman was the pumpkin-headed Jack._ **[Lost Soul, Pyro Jack - 7000 Power]**

"He has two units in the same row…" I heard Misaki muse.

' _She expects me to use Change early on.'_ I gathered. _'Not here… The units I have right now won't do much good being changed. And besides, I need to make sure_ this _gets in the soul._ ' I glanced towards my Vanguard at that thought. "Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _White Rider_ attacks the Vanguard!"

Misaki raised an eyebrow at this before saying, "No guard."

"He's not Changing?" Aichi wondered. "That's not like him."

"Checking the Drive trigger," I said as I flipped over the top card.

 **[Drive Check - Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - No Trigger]**

Tam Lin _transferred his powers to_ White Rider **[6000 Power + 5000 Power = 11000 Power]** _and the latter of the two charged forward, his longsword primed and ready to cut down any enemies before him. The undead horseman swung his sword at the mecha babies, sending them flying back while my Vanguard retreated to my field once again._

"Damage Trigger, check," Misaki said, revealing the top card.

 **[Damage Check – Battle Sister, Chocolat – No Trigger]**

' _That'll be one less Perfect Guard I have to deal with later, but still…'_ I mused in my thoughts. _'I can't let up just yet.'_ "Next, _Pyro Jack_ attacks your Vanguard! And I activate his skill! When _Pyro Jack_ attacks while I have at least one other Megaten in the rear-guard, he gets an additional 2000 Power!"

 _Flames built up in_ Pyro Jack's _lantern as his power rose slightly._ **[7000 Power + 2000 Power = 9000 Power]**

"Guard, _Dream Eater_!" Misaki said, placing the card in the Guardian Circle.

Pyro Jack _let the fire built up in his lantern loose in a small but continuous stream that was aimed at Gemini. However, someone else suddenly appeared and intercepted the attack; a strange black creature with long reddish-orange hair, the trunk of an elephant, and an odd headdress on its head. The new unit took the brunt of the attack and vanished soon after._ **[8000 Power + 5000 Shield = 13000 Power]**

"Hm, I end my turn there." I finished.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Horseman of Conquest, White Rider** / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Empty / **Oracle Guardian, Gemini** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Lozenge Magus / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Battle Sister, Chocolat [U]

"Draw." Misaki said, drawing her next card to increase her hand to five. "I Ride _Oracle Guardian, Wiseman_."

 _On the battlefield,_ Gemini _transformed into a metal statue resembling The Thinker, with circuitry lines running along its body, and sitting on a metallic pedestal in the same pose as The Thinker. [_ **Oracle Guardian, Wiseman - 10000 Power]**

"Call. _Silent Tom_!" Misaki said next.

 _On_ Wiseman's _left, a tall man in a black felt hat and suit rose up, sporting a bandaged face, black sunglasses, and pistol barrels in place of his fingertips. Hovering just behind him and to the side slightly was a pinkish ghost of a woman._ **[Silent Tom - 8000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Lozenge Magus_ , _Wiseman_ attacks your Vanguard. With its skill activated _Magus_ can add an additional 3000 Power along with its own." Misaki said, as she turned the cards sideways.

' _Tch… no matter what I do here, I'm bound to lose some advantage…'_ I thought to myself as I scanned the cards in my hand. "I don't guard."

"Drive check." Misaki said, revealing the top card and it glowed red.

 **[Drive Check - Dream Eater - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger! The Power goes to _Silent Tom_ and I draw an additional card." Misaki said as she did just that.

Lozenge Magus _pointed her staff at_ Wiseman _and transferred her power to the statue._ **[10000 Power + 3000 Power + 3000 Power = 16000 Power]** _The mechanical Thinker statue then ratcheted its head, towards the White Horseman and its eyes glowed before firing a laser at it, exploding on contact._

"Damage check," I said as I flipped over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras - No Trigger]**

"Now I'll have _Silent Tom_ attack your Vanguard. And when he attacks, you can't guard with Grade 0 units."

"In that case… Guard! _Horseman of War, Red Rider_! _Horseman of Famine, Black Rider_!" I countered while discarding the Grade 1 units. I smirked to myself, knowing that things were going according to plan.

Silent Tom _aimed its forefinger and middle finger at_ White Rider _in the shape of a gun, aimed at the horseman, and fired bullets in quick succession._ **[8000 Power + 5000 Power = 13000 Power]** _However at the same time, two more units intercepted the attack - the horsemen mounted atop red and black horses respectively._ **[6000 Power + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 16000 Power]**

"Turn end." Misaki concluded. "And _Lozenge Magus_ returns to the Deck due to her own skill." She put said card back in the Deck and shuffled before passing.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Horseman of Conquest, White Rider** / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Hand:** 3  
 **Damage:** Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras [U]

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Silent Tom / **Oracle Guardian, Wiseman** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** Battle Sister, Chocolat [U]

"Stand and draw." I announced as I stood my units and drew. I nodded approvingly at what I drew. "Ride! _Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth_!"

 _Appearing in place of the_ White Rider _was a silver-furred baboon wearing ancient Egyptian clothing and carrying a leather tome with the Eye of Wdjat printed on both covers._ **[Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth - 8000 Power]**

" _Thoth_? Not _Yoshitsune_?" I heard some others in the crowd wonder. I even saw Misaki quirk a brow.

"Activating _Thoth's_ skill! I Soul Charge one to add a card with the Change ability to my hand from among the top five cards of my Deck." I announced as I took the top five cards and eyed them, smirking when I saw one in particular. I plucked it from the bunch and flipped it around for people to see. "I add… _Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune_."

 **[Soul Charge - Heavenly King, Jikokuten]**

I then took _Yoshitsune_ and raised him above my head.

" _ **Strike the opposition with your dance of swords as your crimson armor shines! Crush the foolish oppression, my avatar! Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune!"**_

 _Rising up next to Thoth was none other than my signature Grade 2 unit, brandishing his twin blades and prepping for battle._ **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power]**

"And now, _Thoth_ and _Yoshitsune_ will Change!" I declared as I swapped the positions of my units. "Next I activate _Yoshitsune's_ skill since I have three rear-guards! I Counter Blast! And now for this turn, _Yoshitsune's_ Power increases by 2000 _and_ he goes Critical!"

 _The crimson-armored swordsman let out a yell as he brandished his swords in response to his newfound power increase. He took a battle stance in preparation for the fight ahead._ **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power, Critical: 1-2]**

"And then _Thoth's_ skill activates as well since he was changed! First I draw a card…" I added while tapping _Thoth's_ card. "And now whenever he Intercepts an attack on a Megaten Vanguard, I can give him an extra 5000 Shield."

"An Especial Intercept?" I heard Misaki wonder to herself.

" _Pyro Jack_ moves back, and then I call _Ice Spirit, Jack Frost_ and _Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime_!" I continued as I placed my units down.

 _As_ Pyro Jack _floated backwards to stand next to_ Tam Lin _, the pudgy snowman demon appeared behind_ Thoth _. At the same time, a woman with ashen skin and white hair appeared next to_ Yoshitsune _, clothed in pink-and-white garments with pinkish armor situated at the waist._

"Here we go," I smirked. " _Yoshitsune_ attacks the Vanguard with a boost from _Tam Lin_!"

"Guard! _Psychic Bird_!" Misaki countered while placing down the Draw Trigger she'd gotten last turn.

"Hmph, Drive Trigger, check." I declared as I revealed the top card, which gave off a pale red light. "Draw Trigger! The power goes to _Yoshitsune_ and I draw."

 _The crimson swordsman dashed forward, his swords at the ready, as he received support from_ Tam Lin _._ **[11000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 21000 Power]** _At the last moment before he could strike at the statue, a bright green bird with blue and purple streaks in its feathers materialized and attempted to cut in, however_ Yoshitsune _didn't let this hinder him and he merely cut through the opposition before getting two strong slashes in on_ Wiseman _._

"Damage check." Misaki said before revealing her top two cards.

 **[Damage Check - Meteor Break Wizard - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Dark Cat - No Trigger]**

"And then _Kikuri-Hime_ charges in boosted by _Pyro Jack_! And whenever _Kikuri-Hime_ attacks a Vanguard, she gets another 2000 Power!" I said lastly.

"...No guard." Misaki responded.

Kikuri-Hime's _power surged and swirled around her as it increased greatly._ **[9000 Power + 2000 Power + 7000 Power = 18000 Power]** _Fire materialized in her hands, which she then unleashed in the form of a large fireball that hit_ Wiseman _, catching him in a small explosion._

"Damage check,"

 **[Damage Check - Miracle Kid - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger! I give the power to _Wiseman_ and I draw." Misaki decided.

"My turn's done." I concluded. **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 11000-9000 Power, Critical: 2-1]**

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Front Row:** Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth / **Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune** / Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Spirit of the Celestial Dance, Apsaras [F]

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Silent Tom / **Oracle Guardian, Wiseman** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Battle Sister, Chocolat [U], Meteor Break Wizard [U], Dark Cat [U], Miracle Kid [U]

"He's already pushed her to four damage?" Aichi gasped. "Kazuya is really strong…"

"I like his style." Miwa commented. "For someone who uses brute force, he does it pretty well."

"What do you mean?" Aichi asked his friend.

"He's been using lots of units that boost his power and let him deal more damage. But then he's also got ways to gain advantage." Miwa explained. "His deck is like the ultimate mix between power and tactics."

"So he's the total opposite to me," Kurogasa figured. He's _still_ here? "No wonder he beat me…"

"That was definitely a twist, Kazuya." Misaki smiled. "I wasn't counting on you being able to get such strong attacks in. At first I thought that you were holding back against me, but I realized that you had been waiting for the right moment."

"I prefer to know my enemy before I attack." I replied. "I don't do blind attacking."

"Well now it's my turn to go all-out against you." the Oracle Think Tank user added as she drew her card and stood her units. She then took a card from her hand and raised it up.

" _ **Maiden of the Sun, descend onto this earth and give this mortal a graceful judgement! Ride! CEO Amaterasu!"**_

Wiseman _vanished, only to be replaced by a young woman wearing a golden kimono with white flower patterns and orange detached sleeves. Her hair, having turned the same lilac color as Misaki, cascaded down her back and was decorated with a golden ceremonial headdress._ **[CEO Amaterasu - 10000 Power]**

"Amaterasu's skill activates. I Soul Charge…" Misaki announced as she put the top card of her deck into her Soul.

 **[Soul Charge - Battle Sister, Cocoa]**

"...And now I can look at the top card of my deck and put it either on the top or bottom of the deck." The lilac-haired girl then took a glance at her next card and nodded to herself. "This will stay on the top."

' _That's probably a Trigger of some sort. I should be careful…'_ I thought to myself. _'I should try and end this quickly. It's still a ways away, but if she manages to get access to_ Amaterasu's _Mega Blast, then I won't have much of a chance. By then she'll have everything she needs.'_

"I'll also Call _Dark Cat_ and another _Wiseman_." Misaki added as she played two more cards.

 _Down on the battlefield, a mechanical black cat appeared just next to_ Lozenge Magus _. Next to_ Amaterasu _, another Thinker statue rose up._ **[Dark Cat - 7000 Power], [Oracle Guardian, Wiseman - 10000 Power]**

"Calling _Dark Cat_ lets us both draw a card." she explained as the two of us each drew a card. "Now, _Wiseman_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"No guard." I responded.

Wiseman _turned its head towards_ Yoshitsune _and unleashed a pair of thin beams from its eyes that hit my Vanguard square in the chest._

"Damage check." I announced as I flipped over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime - No Trigger]**

"Boosted by _Dark Cat_ , _Amaterasu_ attacks your Vanguard!" Misaki declared as she turned her cards sideways.

"I guard with _Apsaras_! And _Thoth_ Intercepts!" I countered as I slapped down a card from my hand and placed _Thoth_ on the Guardian Circle. **[9000 Power + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 24000 Power]**

"Twin Drive, check…" Misaki added as she flipped over two cards.

 **[Drive Check - Psychic Bird - Critical trigger]  
[Drive Check - Psychic Bird - Critical trigger]**

"Damn! Double Critical at a time like this?!" I grit my teeth.

"All effects go to _Amaterasu_!" Misaki declared. The Oracle Think Tank user then held up her five-card hand. " _Amaterasu's_ skill gives her 4000 Power while I have at least four cards in my hand." **[10000 Power + 4000 Power + 7000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 31000 Power]**

"Tch…" I hissed.

 _The sun shone behind_ Amaterasu _as her power increased dramatically, allowing the goddess to fire off several bursts of light aimed at my Vanguard._ Thoth _and_ Apsaras _attempted to defend him, but it was to no avail. The two defending units were dispatched by the attack and_ Yoshitsune _was caught in a barrage of blasts himself._

"Damage check…" I sighed.

 **[Damage Check - Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Magical Trickster, Pixie - Heal Trigger]**

"Heal Trigger! The power goes to my Vanguard and I recover one damage."

"I'll end my turn there." Misaki finished.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune** / Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime [U], Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [U], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [U], Magical Trickster, Pixie [U]

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Silent Tom / **CEO Amaterasu** / Oracle Guardian, Wiseman  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Dark Cat / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** Battle Sister, Chocolat [U], Meteor Break Wizard [U], Dark Cat [U], Weather Girl, Milk [U]

"Stand and draw." I announced as I began my turn. Upon drawing my card, I smirked after seeing what I got. I raised the card above my head and chanted.

" _ **Galloping in at the start of the apocalypse, basking in the gentle darkness, guide these foolish souls to the realm of the dead! Ride! Horseman of Death, Pale Rider!"**_

Yoshitsune _vanished in a flash, and a second later, a new figure galloped in on a deathly pale horse with a silver mane that fell over its eyes; a skeletal figure wearing a jet-black hooded cloak and carrying a scythe._ **[Horseman of Death, Pale Rider - 10000 Power]**

"Horseman of Death…" Misaki repeated.

" _Pale Rider's_ skill activates since I rode him while _White Rider_ was in the Soul! I Soul Charge…" I explained as I placed the top card of my deck into the Soul.

 **[Soul Charge - Deception Beast, Kabuso]**

"...And because of that, I can now send one _Horseman_ from my deck to the Drop Zone." I added as I looked through my deck, revealed a copy of _White Rider_ , and placed it in the Drop Zone.

"He's sending his own units to the Drop Zone? What's up with that?" Kamui questioned.

"I'm not sure, but I have a weird feeling about that." Izaki added.

"And now for _Pale Rider's_ other skill…" I smirked while gesturing to my Vanguard. "I Counter Blast two in order to Superior Call any three Zombies from my Drop Zone!"

"Any three?" Misaki repeated. She then gasped as the realization hit her. "That means…!" After I paid the cost, I took my Drop Zone and took out my three desired cards.

"Now, fight as one, my four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!" I announced as I retired all three units in my back row. "Superior Call! _Horseman of Conquest, White Rider_! _Horseman of War, Red Rider_! And _Horseman of Famine, Black Rider_!"

 _Appearing in place of the three rear-guards were the other three Horsemen, each one riding their respective horses and carrying their signature items._ **[Horseman of Conquest, White Rider - 6000 Power], [Horseman of War, Red Rider - 7000 Power], [Horseman of Famine, Black Rider - 8000 Power]**

"And on top of that, thanks to his skill, _Pale Rider_ gains an additional 3000 Power this turn!" I added as _Pale Rider_ powered up. **[10000 Power + 3000 Power = 13000 Power]** "Boosted by _Red Rider_ , _Kikuri-Hime_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"I don't guard." Misaki replied.

 _Receiving power from the_ Horseman of War **[9000 Power + 7000 Power = 16000 Power]** _, the_ Dragon Goddess _once again unleashed her fire attack upon_ Amaterasu _._

"Damage check."

 **[Damage Check - Battle Sister, Cocoa - No Trigger]**

"Heh… And now, boosted by _Black Rider_ , _Pale Rider_ attacks the Vanguard! And as an added bonus from his own skill, I can attack _three_ of your units instead of one!" I continued while turning my cards to the side. _'This is perfect! As long as I can get at least one Critical Trigger, I've got her!'_

"Nice try Kazuya, but your attack on my Vanguard is nullified. And I guard _Silent Tom_ with _Psychic Bird_." she said. And with that, she discarded a card and placed down the one thing that would stop my plans in its tracks.

 **[Battle Sister, Chocolat - Shield: 0]**

' _Shit!'_ I growled in my thoughts as I grit my teeth. _'Of all the things…!'_

 _On the battlefield, as_ Pale Rider _prepared to charge in after receiving his support_ **[13000 Power + 8000 Power = 21000 Power]** _, a young elven woman in dark blue nun's clothing carrying a machinegun appeared out of thin air and began firing her weapon, though she was unable to keep it steady and began to panic once it fired uncontrollably, forcing her to move around as it did so. A few stray bullets grazed_ Pale Rider's _horse, causing it to neigh and back up in retreat._

"Tch… Twin Drive, check." I said flatly.

 **[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**

' _No!'_ I growled.

"No way! He could have used those to win, if only Misaki didn't have that Perfect Guard!" Izaki said in what seemed to be shock.

"Talk about terrible timing…" Kurogasa added.

"I end my turn…"

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider / Horseman of Famine, Black Rider / Horseman of War, Red Rider  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Horseman of Death, Pale Rider** / Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime [F], Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [U], Magical Trickster, Pixie [U]

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Silent Tom / **CEO Amaterasu** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Dark Cat / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Battle Sister, Chocolat [U], Meteor Break Wizard [U], Dark Cat [U], Weather Girl, Milk [U], Battle Sister, Cocoa [U]

"Stand and draw." Misaki said as she drew her next card, putting her hand at five. " _CEO Amaterasu's_ skill activates; I Soul Charge."

 **[Soul Charge - Lozenge Magus]**

"And now I check the top card of my deck," she added before looking at her next card. "It goes to the bottom." She then slid it under her deck. "Next I call _Oracle Guardian, Hermes_ and _Circle Magus_!"

 _Appearing to the right of_ Amaterasu _was another statue-like unit like_ Wiseman _, only this one was a bearded warrior wearing Roman clothing and a cape. Appearing behind Silent Tom was a redheaded woman wearing white and green robes, with various circular plates fixed on her body as armor._ **[Oracle Guardian, Hermes - 10000 Power], [Circle Magus - 7000 Power]**

"Since I called _Hermes_ , you have to play with your hand revealed for the rest of the turn." Misaki explained.

"Alright," I said while turning my cards around.

"Also, reveal the top card of your deck." she added. I quickly drew my next card and grit my teeth at what I saw, but kept my distaste bottled in for the time being. I turned the card around, revealing to Misaki that it was a copy of _Magical Trickster, Pixie_.

"A Heal Trigger… Sorry Kazuya, but put that card on the bottom of your deck." Misaki told me, prompting me to do just that. "And since I called _Circle Magus_ , I can look at the top card of my deck again." She did so and nodded in thought. "It stays on the top."

' _This can't be good…'_ I mused in my thoughts.

"First off, _Wiseman_ attacks _Kikuri-Hime_." Misaki announced.

"No guard." I answered back.

Hermes' _eyes slid open and a laser fired out from one of them, striking the_ Dragon Goddess _and disposing her from the battlefield._

"With a boost from _Circle Magus_ , _Silent Tom_ attacks your Vanguard!"

"I guard with _Apsaras_ and _Kurama Tengu_!" I countered as I slapped the two cards down onto the Guardian Circle.

 _As_ Silent Tom _prepped his fingers to fire bullets at the enemy_ **[8000 Power + 7000 Power = 15000 Power]** _, the blue-skinned dancer and the muscular birdman appeared to defend their leader, taking the brunt of Tom's attack._ **[10000 Power + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 20000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Dark Cat_ , _Amaterasu_ attacks the Vanguard!" Misaki declared finally.

"I guard with two copies of _Demon Sword, Rakshasa_!" I countered before placing the two cards down. _'Good… so long as she doesn't get two Triggers, I'm safe; even if it took my whole hand to do it, I can still come back from this.'_

"Twin Drive, check." Misaki continued before flipping over the top two cards.

I paled the moment she did.

 **[Drive Check - Oracle Guardian, Nike - Critical Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Emergency Alarmer - Stand Trigger]**

' _Dammit, no!'_ I growled.

"I give all effects to _Amaterasu_ and I stand _Wiseman_!" Misaki stated. I felt any chance I had of winning get washed away in that instant. "And because my hand is now greater than four cards, _Amaterasu_ gets another 4000 Power!"

Amaterasu's _body glowed with newfound power as the sun once again shone behind her, as if foretelling her victory._ **[10000 Power + 4000 Power + 7000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 31000 Power, Critical: 1-2]** _As she let forth a barrage of light bursts, two of the raven-haired sword-wielding demons appeared to defend_ Pale Rider. **[10000 Power + 10000 Shield + 10000 Shield = 30000 Power]** _However, the two of them alone were unable to withstand the barrage of the sun goddess and they fell before vanishing from the field._ Amaterasu _then strengthened her attacks one final time and succeeded in striking_ Pale Rider _, ending his time on the battlefield._

"Damage check…" I sighed.

 **[Damage Check - Horseman of War, Red Rider - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Horseman of Death, Pale Rider - No Trigger]**

 **FINAL RESULTS**

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Horseman of Conquest, White Rider / Horseman of Famine, Black Rider / Horseman of War, Red Rider  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Horseman of Death, Pale Rider** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime [F], Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [U], Magical Trickster, Pixie [U], Horseman of War, Red Rider [U], Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [U]

 **Misaki  
Front Row: **Silent Tom / **CEO Amaterasu** / Oracle Guardian, Hermes  
 **Back Row:** Circle Magus / Dark Cat / Empty  
 **Hand:** 3  
 **Damage:** Battle Sister, Chocolat [U], Meteor Break Wizard [U], Dark Cat [U], Weather Girl, Milk [U], Battle Sister, Cocoa [U]

"And the winner is - Tokura Misaki!" Shin announced, prompting the audience to applaud for us. I didn't say anything, rather I simply walked back to the table I'd been at and leaned forward on it. I just stood there for a solid minute, staring down at the table in disbelief.

' _Dammit! Why? Why couldn't I beat her?'_ I wondered to myself. _'I'd planned out all my moves, my strategies were flawless! So why? Why is it that_ I _lost?'_

"Kazuya?"

I turned my head to see Misaki had followed me over to my table and was looking at me as she were concerned for a friend.

"Are you alright?"

I didn't answer for a few second, but finally turned to face her. "Yeah… Yeah I'm fine. Just disappointed that I lost."

"Well you did your best out there." she reassured me. "And that's what matters, don't you think?"

"Tch… Yeah… Yeah I guess you're right." I sighed and calmed down somewhat. "I'm just surprised you were able to stay a step ahead of me the whole time."

"Admittedly I was struggling for the first part of the game despite seeing how you deck works beforehand. I was still learning about it so it was a touch-and-go situation." she added. "But still, that was a good cardfight."

"...Yeah." I finally said. "It was."

* * *

"Alright everyone, that concludes our little tournament. And our champion is none other than Kai Toshiki!" Shin announced, which snapped me out of my thoughts and alerting me to how long I'd been contemplating to myself. Everyone clapped and cheered for Kai, but the latter seemed totally indifferent to all of it.

"Hm? Looks like my business is done here for now." I said to myself.

"Also, I have a very special announcement to make!" the manager added. "With the conclusion of the tournament, the winner Kai Toshiki, the runner-up Katsuragi Kamui, and the remaining two of the top four Sendou Aichi and Tokura Misaki, are all now eligible to compete in the Vanguard Regional Tournament. And should they win that, they will qualify for the Nationals."

"Heh… I wonder how things would have turned out if I'd won my match." I mused before I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder. I turned to see Louisa was the culprit.

"Isn't it great that they were able to qualify for a regional tournament?" she asked casually.

"Sure," I said offhandedly.

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked. "After all, you…" She trailed off as I began to laugh to myself, which got gradually louder as time passed. I stood from the table and smirked.

"Seems these guys have left me with no choice." I said while taking out my deck and looking at it for a few moments. "Louisa… We're going to Regionals."

"Eh?!" was her response.

"If I can't qualify through this tournament, then I'll simply make my own team." I told her. "Which is perfect for testing how far my strength truly goes."

I looked towards the newly-formed team that I would soon be fighting against. "Just you all wait. I'll be going full force when we meet again at Regionals."

* * *

 _ **Alright, and it's finally done! Holy hell, man. I've gotten far too lazy with this story. Even so, now that we've gotten past the boring shop tournament, we can get into stuff that's more exciting! And I promise that this time around I won't take almost half a year to update again.**_

 _ **In any case, now that we've started on the road to Regionals, it's time for you, my trusted readers, to send in submissions for OC's, which I will feature as the opponents for Kazuya's team.**_

 **Team Name:**

Member #1, #2, or #3 _(For convenience sake, #1 should generally be the leader.)_  
 **Name:**  
 **Age:**  
 **Gender:**  
 **Appearance:**  
 **Personality:**  
 **Deck:** _(State the clan the character uses. If they focus on a particular sub-clan/archetype/ride chain/etc., mention that as well. I won't be taking self-made clans, but I may take individual self-made cards within reason. Also, all cards will otherwise be limited to booster sets 1-5 for the time being.)_

 _ **Just be light on the details and I can work from there. So get to thinking, readers! Some of you lucky demons and demonesses just might get to see your team competing in the Regional Tournaments.**_

 _ **Now then, I think that about covers everything. So without further delay, this is Master of the Wild Card signing off!**_

* * *

Dragon Goddess, Kikuri-Hime  
Grade 2  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Noble  
Power - 9000 / Shield - 5000  
 **[AUTO]: [** **Choose a card from your hand, and discard it]** When this unit is placed on (VC), you may search your deck for up to one Grade 2 or less card, call it to (RC), and shuffle your deck.  
 **[AUTO]: [** **Choose a Grade 3 «Megaten» from your hand, and discard it]** When this unit is placed on (RC), you may search your deck for up to one Grade 2 or 3 card, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.  
 **[AUTO] (VC/RC):** If this unit attacks a Vanguard, it gets +2000 Power until the end of that battle.

Horseman of Death, Pale Rider  
Grade 3  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Zombie  
Power - 10000  
 **[AUTO]: [Soul Charge (1)]** If this unit is placed on (VC) while you have a card with "Horseman" in its card name in your Soul, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one card with "Horseman" in its card name, put it into your Drop Zone, and shuffle your deck.  
 **[ACT] (VC): [Counter Blast (2)]** Choose up to 3 «Megaten» -Zombie- in your Drop Zone, call them to separate (RC), and until end of turn this unit gets +3000 Power and gets _"_ _ **[CONT] (VC):**_ _This unit battles three of your opponent's units in one attack."_.


	6. Kaoru Ichinose

**Shin Megami Tensei: Vanguard**

 **Grade 5**

 **Blooming Roses and Deadly Looks - "Ichinose Kaoru"**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard or the Megami Tensei franchise. All creative rights go to their respective owners, Bushiroad and Atlus. I do however, own the Megaten clan and my OC's Minegishi Kazuya, Daichi Shijima, and Louisa Ferre. Fenikkusumaru owns his OC Kururugi Kurogasa and the Courier Saints clan. The Azure Guardian owns his OC, Ichinose Kaoru.**_

* * *

 **NOTE: I've changed the first opening to the story. I'm no longer using Core Pride by UVERWORLD, instead I'm now using Clattanoia by OxT. Enjoy :)**

 **NOTE 2: I would also like to remind all my wonderful readers that team submissions are open for the upcoming Regional Tournament. So if you have a team of characters you'd like to have debut in this story, you're more than free to do so. Simply PM me and I'll give you the details.**

* * *

It's been some days since the end of the tournament at Card Capital in which Shin announced that the finalists - Aichi, Kai, Kamui, and Misaki - would be competing in the Vanguard Regional Tournament. I myself had decided to enter as well in order to become stronger. The only setback to my plan is that I need a team of three to compete, and so far I've had no luck in finding anybody. It was mid afternoon when I decided to go down to Card Capital to kill some time, with Louisa trailing behind me as always.

"So what are you planning to do now?" Louisa asked out of the blue, likely referring to my lack of success in assembling a team.

' _Well if looking at other shops hasn't borne any fruit, then I guess we have to stick locally, which was one of the last options I wanted to use.'_ I replied in my thoughts. _'It's the only choice I have left.'_

"Maybe look at Card Capital?" Louisa suggested. "There could be some other strong fighters you just don't know about yet. You said Angel Boy was strong, right?"

' _I guess so,'_ I replied. _'The kid has skill and his clan would offer a greater element of surprise, but at the same time I'm not sure.'_ I blinked just as I realized we were already coming up on Card Capital, wondering if I had been so engrossed in my conversation with Louisa and my own thoughts that I never noticed. "Looks like we're here." And with that I stepped inside through the double doors to be met with the familiar layout of the small shop.

"Hi, welcome to Card Capital!" Shin greeted before recognizing me. "Ah, it's good to see you, Kazuya."

"Hey." I said before going to sit down at a table. "I just came to kill some time." I then took out my cards and began to look through in thought.

"Say, Kazuya, shouldn't you be in school right now?" Shin suddenly asked in an attempt to make conversation with me. I turned my head and raised a brow. Looking down at myself, I gestured with my hands at my casual clothes.

"I don't see a uniform anywhere." I shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess not." Shin laughed. "I just assumed you were a student since you look like you're not much older than Misaki."

"I'm nineteen." I clarified. "I graduated some time ago. I attended high school in America, and moved back here afterwards." Shin nodded in understanding.

"Did you ever think about applying for University?" Shin queried.

"The thought crossed my mind," I shrugged. "But to tell you the truth academics aren't really my thing. Don't really feel like I'm ready yet."

"I see," Shin nodded again. "Well everyone else won't be here for a little while longer, so you're more than welcome to hang out here while you wait." Just then, the sound of the front doors sliding open broke the otherwise quiet atmosphere. "Ah, welcome to Card Capital!"

The figure who entered the store had a very thin, slender build, with long, braided light-blue hair that covered the left side of their face. The person wore a fairly loose-fitting, purple long-sleeved shirt with rose petal designs strewn about and a pair of skinny blue jeans that snugly clung to their legs. The person looked around the entrance of the store, curiosity in their light red eyes and soft facial expression.

… Damn, she's hot. She's flat as hell, but she's hot.

"How can I be of help today?" Shin asked the newcomer.

"I'd heard about this place and I thought I would stop by," they said with a very light, almost feminine inflection. "I just started playing Vanguard and I'm still learning the rules, so I came here hoping to play against somebody."

"Unfortunately you came when things are a bit slow around here," Shin replied apologetically. He then got a gleam in his eyes and gestured to me. "But Kazuya here might be able to help you."

"Eh? Me?" I responded, wondering why I was being drafted.

The person turned their attention toward me, smiling gently, "Would you care to teach me how to play?"

' _I have no way out of this, do I?'_ I thought to myself. Outwardly, shrugged. "Sure. See that table over there? Go stand on the other side." I then stood up and took out my cards just as I got to the close end of the Standing Fight Table. "So first off, you start out by choosing a Grade 0 card to be your starting Vanguard." I did just that and showed it to my opponent before placing it face-down on the Vanguard Circle.

My opponent then looked through their own deck, scanning their Grade 0 cards before taking one and putting it face-down in their Vanguard Circle opposite mine. "Okay, and now what?"

"Shuffle the deck," I explained before doing so. After I'd shuffled thoroughly, I placed my cards down and drew my opening hands. "And then you draw five cards. You're allowed to do one mulligan before the game starts to reshuffle your hand and draw new cards to replace them. Try and get a card of each Grade in your hand if you can." I scanned my hand and scrunched up my nose before taking three cards and shuffling them away to draw three new ones. My opponent did the same by shuffling back two cards.

"Hey, you're a pretty good teacher." Louisa teased.

' _Shut up…'_ I replied in my thoughts. Outwardly, I continued my explanation. "Alright, now you have to imagine it."

"Imagine it?" my opponent repeated.

"Our spirits have been transported to a place called Cray, a world much like Earth." I explained. "Imagine yourself there now…" The two of us closed our eyes and within a few seconds, we were now standing in a large open plain just outside a forest, the ground around us dotted with roses.

"I see it… It's beautiful," my opponent said in awe, a pleasant smile on their face.

"Here on Cray our spirits are otherwise powerless, except for two powers. The first one is called 'Ride', which lets us inhabit the bodies of this world's denizens in order to fight. Our second power is known as 'Call', which lets us summon our allies on Cray to lend us their power." I continued, feeling simultaneously silly for doing so yet knowing it was a necessary evil. "Now, to start the game we flip up our starting Vanguards." I placed my hand on my card and the opponent did the same. "Ready?"

"Yes," they nodded.

"Stand up! My Vanguard!" I announced while flipping over my card.

"A-Ah. Stand up! Vanguard!"

 _Appearing in place of our spirits on Cray were my normal starting elven knight clad in green armor and wielding a spear._ **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 5000 Power]** _Standing opposite Tam Lin was a young boy with leafy green hair wearing a green sleeveless tunic and wooden leg armor. Attached to each of his arms were a pair of wooden shields with intricate designs carved into the face._ **[Shield Seed Squire - 5000 Power]**

" _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_!" I announced.

" _Shield Seed Squire_!"

' _Hm? That's a Neo Nectar unit…'_ I noticed. _'I'm interested in how this newbie will use them.'_

"I'll take the first turn, if you don't mind." I suggested. "That way you can see what the structure of a turn is like."

"That's fine with me." my opponent smiled.

"Alright. I draw!" I began my turn. "First thing after you draw is that you're given the option to Ride a unit that's one Grade higher than your Vanguard, _Tam Lin_ in my case," I plucked a card from my hand and placed it down over Tam Lin. "I Ride _Celestial Dancer, Apsaras_!"

 _Appearing in place of_ Tam Lin _was my blue-skinned dancer unit._ **[Celestial Dancer, Apsaras - 8000 Power]** Tam Lin _also materialized onto the battlefield once again, this time behind_ Apsaras _._

"Due to his skill, _Tam Lin_ moves back into the Rear Guard.." I explained. "You can also call units during your turn with a Grade less than or equal to the Grade of your Vanguard. In this case, I call Ice Spirit, Jack Frost!"

 _Plopping onto the battlefield alongside Apsaras was the pudgy snowman dressed in blue jester's wear._ **[Ice Spirit, Jack Frost - 6000 Power]**

"And since I can't attack due to going first, I'll end my turn at that." I concluded. "Now it's your turn."

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / **Celestial Dancer, Apsaras** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** None

 **? ? ?  
Front Row: **Empty / **Shield Seed Squire** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

"Then I'll draw," my opponent said, carefully pulling their next card with their slender fingers and looking at it along with the rest of their hand. "I will Ride _Corolla Dragon_."

Shield Seed Squire _vanished in a burst of greenish light, only to be replaced by a greyish dragon with budding flowers on its head, palm leaves around its midsection, and bright yellow butterfly wings sprouting from its back._ **[Corolla Dragon - 8000 Power]**

"And this will activate my _Shield Seed Squire's_ skill, allowing me to move it to my Rear Guard," my opponent continued as they took the _Shield Seed Squire_ card from under _Corolla Dragon_ and moved it to one of the Rearguard Circles beside the Vanguard, which also caused the shielder to appear again on Cray. "And then I'll Call _Watering Elf_ to the Rearguard." My opponent then played another card, this time placing it in the circle behind _Shield Seed Squire_.

 _Appearing behind the young squire was a young elven girl wearing a dress of various shades of green, a green-and-white visor, and carrying a watering can._ **[Watering Elf - 4000 Power]**

"And then I'll activate the skill of my _Watering Elf_ ," my opponent continued as they removed _Watering Elf_ from the field and placed it underneath _Corolla Dragon_. "By placing it from my Rearguard to my Soul, I can increase the Power of a Neo Nectar by 3000 for the turn, and I'll choose my _Shield Seed Squire_."

Shield Seed Squire's _face grew more determined as his body gained a green aura, showing his increase in power._ **[5000 Power + 3000 Power = 8000 Power]**

"And now we come to the battle portion of the turn." I spoke up. "When you attack with a unit, you turn it sideways to show that it's been rested." I gestured to my own cards. "Your units are able to support each other in battle by giving them additional power. If you had units in the back row, then you could boost the power of your attacking unit directly in front of them. So, which unit will attack first?"

"I will have _Shield Seed Squire_ attack your Vanguard," my opponent declared.

I nodded. "At this point, the opponent is given the opportunity to guard against the attack by using the units in their hand. When you do so, you place them into that Guardian Circle in the middle of the field." I tapped the large green circular glyph for emphasis. "However, I'll choose not to defend, so your attack goes unimpeded. To make your attack successful, your unit's Power must equal or exceed that of the unit you're attacking. With me so far?"

"Yes, I am." they nodded.

 _On the battlefield,_ Shield Seed Squire _rushed forward with his new surge of power and struck Apsaras with one of his shields, tackling her to the ground. The young boy quickly hopped back to the side of his leader just as_ Apsaras _stood up once more._

"Since your attack on my Vanguard was successful, I take a point of damage." I told the opponent before taking the top card of my deck and turning it so its face could be seen. "The cards in your deck serve as your damage. When you accumulate six of them, then you lose. Should you push me to six damage as well, then you win." I then placed the revealed card in my damage zone.

 **[Damage Check - Horseman of Death, Pale Rider - No Trigger]**

"But then since my _Shield Seed Squire_ landed a hit on your Vanguard, I get to activate his Skill," my opponent continued, removing the appropriate card from their Rearguard and placing it on top of their Deck. "Since I have a Neo Nectar Vanguard, I can return _Shield Seed Squire_ to the top of my Deck and then Call a _Blade Seed Squire_ from my Deck to my Rear Guard rested." My opponent then fanned their deck and looked for their respective card before pulling it and placing _Blade Seed Squire_ into the Rearguard Circle next to _Corolla Dragon_.

 _In place of the shielder was now a unit resembling him greatly, but slightly taller and with a white feather tipped in red resting on his head. The shields on his arms gained blade-like spearheads, giving him much more battle aptitude._ **[Blade Seed Squire - 7000 Power]**

"Your Vanguard's attack is special." I told them. "After you declare the attack and the opponent has guarded, you reveal the top card of your deck and add it to your hand. This is called a Drive Check."

"Then I will have _Corolla Dragon_ attack your Vanguard." the opponent announced while resting their Vanguard.

"And I won't guard." I added. "Now reveal the top card of your deck."

"Right. Drive Trigger, check." They flipped over the top card, and I saw no Triggers present.

"In some instances the card you reveal may have a special icon that gives off different benefits. But by the looks of it, that didn't happen this time. Regardless, you can add that card to your hand."

Corolla Dragon _flew into the air before dive bombing down towards_ Apsaras _, ramming into her and sending her skidding backwards._

"Damage Trigger, check." I announced while flipping over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn - No Trigger]**

"And I guess that does it for my turn." my opponent finished.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Fairy Knight, Tam Lin / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / **Celestial Dancer, Apsaras** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [U], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [U]

 **? ? ?  
Front Row: **Empty / **Corolla Dragon** / Blade Seed Squire  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

"Now it's my turn." I said. "Normally you stand your rested units before drawing, but since I have no units…" I then drew my card, putting my hand to five. I took a card from my hand and raised it up.

" _ **Strike the opposition with your dance of swords as your crimson armor shines! Crush the foolish oppression, my avatar! Ride! Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune!"**_

Apsaras _soon vanished in a burst of greenish light, only to be replaced by my signature sword-wielding warrior in crimson armor._ Yoshitsune _unsheathed his swords and stood in a refined battle stance, intending to take the fight seriously._ **[Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - 9000 Power]**

Just then, I heard the doors to the shop sliding open once more. Turning my head, I saw that Misaki, Aichi, Morikawa, and Izaki had all just arrived.

"Welcome back everyone! You're just in time to see Kazuya teach somebody how to play Vanguard." Shin said with a hint of enthusiasm.

"Kazuya is cardfighting?" Aichi wondered before he and the other two middle schoolers walked over to the standing table while Misaki went over to the counter.

"Who's the chick?" Morikawa asked out of the blue.

I then saw my opponent's right eye twitch at Morikawa's question, then lowered their cards and held their head high before speaking loudly enough for everyone in the store to hear, "Excuse me, but I'm a _man_." I'm sorry, WHAT?!

Wait…

I took another good look at _**HIS**_ face and immediately my brain was confused. He looks too familiar...

"You, what's your name?" I asked him.

My opponent then returned his attention to me, holding me with his gaze, "Ichinose Kaoru."

Heh… Looks like i'm dealing with Endrance. This makes a lot more sense now.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" the others exclaimed in utter shock at the revelation that the person they believed to be a woman was actually a man, regardless of the fact he has the characteristics of a beautiful woman.

"Never in my life have I seen such a beautiful man before…" Louisa muttered.

"Continuing on…" I sighed. "I move _Jack Frost_ back, and then I call _Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu_ and _Lost Soul, Pyro Jack_!"

 _Flying down next to_ Yoshitsune _was the blue-feathered birdman, while materializing next to Tam Lin was the floating, bodiless pumpkin wearing a cape and pointed hat - the brother of Jack Frost._ **[Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu - 8000 Power]** , **[Lost Soul, Pyro Jack - 7000 Power]**

"And next comes the good part." I said. I waved my hand over my front row units. " _Kurama_ and _Yoshitsune_ will Change!"

"Change?" Kaoru repeated.

"There he goes! He's cheating again!" Morikawa blurted out, pointing frantically to my cards as I swapped the positions of _Kurama_ and _Yoshitsune_.

"Are you quite done?" I glared at the Grade 3 lover, making him flinch. "This is the unique power of my clan, the Megaten. Once during each of my turns I can choose two of my units in the same row and swap their positions on the battlefield. In exchange the unit who initiates the Change is rested."

"I see. I guess every clan has something unique that they do," Kaoru noted, mostly to himself.

"It doesn't end there." I continued. "Since _Yoshitsune_ was just changed using his skill, I can pay his Counter Blast and Soul Blast…" I flipped over _Pale Rider_ in the damage zone and took out _Apsaras_ from the Soul as I explained _Yoshitsune's_ skill. "...And by doing so, _Yoshitsune_ will gain an additional 2000 Power for the turn, as well as an extra Critical added to his own!" **[9000 Power + 2000 Power = 11000 Power / Critical: 1-2]**

"In other words, Kazuya-san's attack with that unit can deal two damage instead of one this turn." Aichi explained to Kaoru.

"But it's rested now," Kaoru pointed out while looking at my card. "So isn't it unable to attack this turn?"

" _Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu's_ skill!" I declared while flipping over _Cu Chulainn_ in the damage zone. "When _Kurama_ is changed, I pay his Counter Blast in order to stand the other unit that was changed."

"Ah, that's right!" Aichi realized.

"Boosted by _Jack Frost_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks your Vanguard!" I declared as I turned my cards sideways.

"I won't guard," Kaoru decided.

Yoshitsune _dashed forward and seemingly vanished. Just as suddenly as he was gone, he reappeared once more directly in front of the butterfly-dragon hybrid, slashing at it with his twin blades before hopping backwards to where his allies stood._

"Damage check," Kaoru said before flipping over two cards.

 **[Damage Check - Watering Elf - Stand Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Blade Seed Squire - No Trigger]**

"That blue icon in the corner of _Watering Elf_ lets you give the unit of your choice an additional 5000 Power for this turn and stand one of your Rearguards." I explained. "Though the latter is best used during your own turn."

"I see," Kaoru replied. "Then I'll give the Power to _Corolla Dragon_ and stand _Blade Seed Squire_." **[8000 Power + 5000 Power = 13000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Tam Lin_ , _Kurama Tengu_ attacks the Vanguard!" I declared. "And I also activate _Tam Lin's_ skill! By putting him into the Soul, I can give one card on my field with the Change ability another 2000 Power! I choose _Kurama Tengu_!"

"I won't guard," Kaoru decided again.

"Checking for a Drive Trigger," I added.

 **[Drive Check - Infernal Demon, Melchom - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger! I give all effects to _Kurama Tengu_ and I draw a card." I informed as i drew another card.

Kurama Tengu _rose into the air using its wings and gave them a strong flap, sending near-gale force winds directly at the band of Neo Nectar clansmen._ **[8000 Power + 5000 Power + 2000 Power + 5000 Power = 20000 Power]**

"Damage check," Kaoru announced.

 **[Damage Check - Avatar of the Plains, Behemoth - No Trigger]**

"That ends my turn." I finished.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Empty / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Front Row:** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune / **Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [F]

 **Kaoru  
Front Row: **Empty / **Corolla Dragon** / Blade Seed Squire  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** Watering Elf [U], Blade Seed Squire, [U], Avatar of the Plains, Behemoth [U]

"I'll stand and draw," Kaoru said as he drew his next card. "I Ride _Spiritual Tree Sage, Irminsul_."

Corolla Dragon _vanished, and in its place a very large, bulky humanoid shape rose up. The new unit took the shape of a human wearing green robes with gold trim, but was otherwise reminiscent of an old tree, with its lower body being nothing more than the tree's roots. In its hands the unit carried a tome with a green cover lined in golden designs._ **[Spiritual Tree Sage, Irminsul - 7000 Power]**

"Since _Irminsul_ was played, I can reveal the top card of my Deck, and if it's a Grade 1 or 2 Neo Nectar, I can play it in my Rear Guard, otherwise I have to shuffle my Deck," Kaoru explained.

' _He's trying to fill his formation…'_ I noticed.

Kaoru then drew his top card and flipped it over, "The card I reveal is the Grade 2 _Iris Knight_ , and so I will Call it to my front Rear Guard."

 _Materializing next to_ Irminsul _was a young man with wild green hair clad in leaf green armor with sleeker, iris-colored armor overlaying it. In his hands the young warrior held a sword whose guard resembled a blooming iris flower._ **[Iris Knight - 10000 Power]**

"I will then Call _Pea Knight_ , _Dancing Sunflower_ , and _Lily Knight of the Valley_ to my backrow Rear Guard," Kaoru continued as he played his three cards, specifically placing _Pea Knight_ behind _Blade Seed Squire_ and _Lily Knight of the Valley_ behind _Iris Knight_.

 _Appearing behind their allies were three new units. The first was a young redheaded man wearing green armor and carrying a pair of pistols modeled with a lily motif in mind._ **[Lily Knight of the Valley - 6000 Power]** _The second to appear was a humanoid sunflower wearing colorful clothes, red boots, and a pair of goggles._ **[Dancing Sunflower - 5000 Power]** _The third and final unit was a strange plant-like creature resembling a pea plant standing on four skinny legs, clad in silver armor, and carrying a pitchfork in one of its hands._ **[Pea Knight - 6000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Pea Knight_ , I'll have my _Blade Seed Squire_ attack your Vanguard," Kaoru declared as he rested both cards.

"I don't guard."

 _The young squire charged forward, his bladed weapons at the ready_ **[7000 Power + 6000 Power = 13000 Power]** _, and lunged at_ Kurama Tengu _, slashing away with his mounted weapons and causing the tengu to cry out in pain._

"Checking for a Damage Trigger," I announced.

 **[Damage Check - Divine Virtue, Sraosha - No Trigger]**

"I will attack your Vanguard with _Iris Knight_ while boosted with _Lily Knight of the Valley_ ," Kaoru continued as he rested both cards. "And since _Iris Knight_ is being boosted by _Lily Knight_ , _Iris Knight_ will gain an additional 4000 power."

"I guard with _Infernal Demon, Melchom_! And _Yoshitsune_ Intercepts!" I countered as I placed down my Guardians.

"Intercept?" Kaoru asked in confusion, tilting his head slightly as he saw me move _Yoshitsune_ from my Rearguard to the Guard Circle.

"Grade 2 units can be used to guard while they're in the Rearguard," I explained. "It's a special skill they all possess called Intercept, just as all Grade 1 and lower units possess the Boost ability."

"I see," Kaoru said thoughtfully as he glanced at his Grade 2 units.

"That puts Kazuya's shield at a total of 24000," Izaki said thoughtfully. "But then he also lost one of his best assets in the process."

 _Boosted by his fellow Knight,_ **[10000 Power + 6000 Power + 4000 Power = 20000 Power]** Iris Knight _rushed forward and raised his sword above his head, only to stop short when_ Yoshitsune _jumped forward, also joined by the dark-skinned goddess._ **[9000 Power + 10000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 24000 Power]**

I placed my Guardians in the Drop Zone after the battle had ended. "Are you continuing your attack?" I asked.

"I will boost my _Spiritual Tree Sage_ with _Dancing Sunflower_ and attack your Vanguard," Kaoru continued.

' _My hand is low right now… Even so, this is his last attack for the turn unless he gets a Stand Trigger, so I should be fine.'_ I reasoned. "I don't guard."

"And I'll check the Drive Trigger." Kaoru added before flipping over the top card.

 **[Drive Check - Chestnut Buller - Critical Trigger]**

"I got a Critical Trigger! I'll give the effects to my _Spiritual Tree Sage_!"

"Tch…" I clicked my tongue.

 _Feeling empowered by_ Dancing Sunflower _, the_ Spiritual Tree Sage _conjured up magic from its tome and unleashed it upon the tengu._ **[7000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 17000 Power]**

"Checking the Damage Trigger," I said while flipping over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Infernal Demon, Melchom - Draw Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune - No Trigger]**

"I got another Draw Trigger. I choose not to give the power to any of my units. I also draw a card." I announced as I drew another card.

"I'll end my turn."

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Ice Spirit, Jack Frost / Empty / Lost Soul, Pyro Jack  
 **Front Row:** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune / **Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [F], Divine Virtue, Sraosha [U], Infernal Demon, Melchom [U], Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune [U]

 **Kaoru  
Front Row: **Iris Knight / **Spiritual Tree Sage, Irminsul** / Blade Seed Squire  
 **Back Row:** Lily Knight of the Valley / Dancing Sunflower / Pea Knight  
 **Hand:** 2  
 **Damage:** Watering Elf [U], Blade Seed Squire, [U], Avatar of the Plains, Behemoth [U]

"I stand and draw," I announced as my turn began. "And I ride _Divine Virtue, Sraosha_!"

 _Appearing in place of_ Kurama Tengu _was a creature that would be the farthest thing from what one would call the highest virtue of humanity; a blue-skinned demonic creature with a human face, a large amber-colored eyeball on its forehead, massive bat-like ears, and a set of six wings sprouting from its back similar in appearance to those of a fairy of pixie, but with a bird-like shape to them._ **[Divine Virtue, Sraosha - 11000 Power]**

"That's a new unit I've never seen." A familiar voice said as we turned to see Kurogasa and basically everyone else coming in. "Hey guys. What did I miss?"

"You just missed that cheater's opponent revealing he was a guy when he looks like a girl!" Morikawa shouted, pointing at Kaoru.

"Wha…?" Kurogasa blinked, looking to whom Morikawa pointed.

"True story. Anyways, next, I call _Celestial Dancer, Apsaras_ and _Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long_!" I added while placing down more card.

 _Appearing on the battlefield next were the blue-skinned dancer, standing in-between the Jack Brothers_ **[Celestial Dancer, Apsaras - 8000 Power]** _, and my signature golden dragon, roaring proudly as it descended on the plains._ **[Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - 11000 Power]**

"Next! I Change _Jack Frost_ and _Pyro Jack_!" I said as I swapped the locations of my two units. "And when _Jack Frost_ Changes, I can Soul Charge one to draw a card." I placed the top card of my deck underneath _Sraosha_ before taking the next card and adding it to my hand.

 **[Soul Charge - Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long]**

"Also, when _Pyro Jack_ Changes, I can Soul Blast to draw a card again," I explained as I took _Huang Long_ out of the Soul and placed it into the Drop Zone, after which I drew another card. "And when I activate a Change ability, _Apsaras_ lets me draw another card!" I then drew a third card, my hand now totally refreshed.

"He was able to draw that many cards so quickly?" Kaoru wondered in surprise.

I smirked as I rested two of my units. "Boosted by _Jack Frost_ , _Huang Long_ attacks your Vanguard." I said.

"I won't guard." Kaoru replied.

 _Receiving a boost from the small snowman_ **[11000 Power + 6000 Power = 17000 Power]** _, the golden dragon roared before rearing its head back and unleashing a stream of electric power at the old tree-man, striking home and creating a large explosion._

"Checking for a damage trigger." Kaoru said while flipping over the top card.

 **[Damage Check - Blade Seed Squire - No Trigger]**

"Next, boosted by _Apsaras_ , I'll have _Sraosha_ attack your Vanguard!" I continued while resting my units.

"I guard with _Maiden of Blossom Rain_ ," Kaoru countered as he placed the card into the Guard Circle.

"Wait, really?" I responded.

"Huh? Did I do something wrong?" Kaoru asked, thinking he made a wrong play.

"No it's just… that was a Perfect Guard." I answered back.

"Perfect Guard?" Kaoru repeated in confusion.

"It's a special skill possessed by Grade 1 units, otherwise called the Sentinel ability," I explained. "By discarding a card after guarding with it, you stop your opponent from hitting one of your units that's being attacked."

"I see… I only played it since it was the only card in my hand with any Shield value on it," Kaoru admitted as he discarded another card to activate his Guardian's Sentinel ability. "I had wondered why it read as having zero Shield, though."

"I see. Understandable." I said.

"Is this his first time playing?" Kurogasa whispered to Shin.

"Actually, yes it is." I heard the manager reply back. "And since nobody else was here when he stopped by, I asked Kazuya to teach him."

"I see." Kurogasa nodded in understanding.

"Well then, since I can't hit your Vanguard, my attack fails." I went on. "However, I still get my Twin Drive."

"Twin Drive?" Kaoru repeated.

"The special power of Grade 3 units." I explained while tapping _Sraosha's_ card. "Instead of one Drive Check when you attack with a Grade 2 or lower Vanguard, Twin Drive allows you to perform two at the same time." I then flipped over two cards, both of which let off a pale glow.

 **[Drive Check - Deception Beast, Kabuso - Stand Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Magical Trickster, Pixie - Heal Trigger]**

"Hm, a Heal Trigger here, that's interesting…" I mused.

"Seriously, when are you gonna stop your cheating?!" Morikawa snapped comically, flailing his arms about in an idiotic fashion.

"I have no more control over this than you do." I glared at the Grade 3 lover, making him flinch. I sighed in annoyance. "Anyways, I guess this rounds off what you need to know about Triggers."

"What are Heal Triggers?" Kaoru asked.

"Like all other Triggers, they give an additional 5000 Power, but Heal Triggers are special." I explained. "As long as you have the same amount of damage as your opponent or greater, you can use the special power of Heal Triggers to recover one point of damage. The drawback is that you can only have a total of four Heal Triggers in a deck, however." I then took _Yoshitsune_ from the Damage Zone and put him into the Drop Zone. "I also give all remaining effects to _Yoshitsune_ and _Pyro Jack_ stands back up." **[9000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 19000 Power]**

"The advantage to that move is that now Kazuya has a full-on attack ready to go." Aichi helpfully added in. "His units' Change skills rest one of his rearguards, so the Stand Trigger lets him undo that."

"I see," Kaoru said, giving Aichi a thankful smile. "That was very helpful information."

"Y-You're welcome." Aichi replied, his cheeks turning pink ever so slightly.

"Aichi? You okay?" Kurogasa raised an eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Huh… must be seeing things…" Kurogasa muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Now then," I cut in before resting my remaining units. "Boosted by _Pyro Jack_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"I can't guard," Kaoru said.

 _Gaining support from the pumpkin-headed demon_ **[19000 Power + 7000 Power = 26000 Power]** _,_ Yoshitsune _rushed forward and slashed aggressively at_ Irminsul _before leaping back to stand at_ Sraosha's _side again._

"Checking the Damage Trigger." Kaoru said.

 **[Damage Check - Frontline Valkyrie, Laurel - No Trigger]**

"I end my turn there." I finished.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack / Celestial Dancer, Apsaras / Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
 **Front Row:** Sword of Rebellion, Yoshitsune / **Divine Virtue, Sraosha** / Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [F], Divine Virtue, Sraosha [U], Infernal Demon, Melchom [U]

 **Kaoru  
Front Row: **Iris Knight / **Spiritual Tree Sage, Irminsul** / Blade Seed Squire  
 **Back Row:** Lily Knight of the Valley / Dancing Sunflower / Pea Knight  
 **Hand:** 0  
 **Damage:** Watering Elf [U], Blade Seed Squire, [U], Avatar of the Plains, Behemoth [U], Blade Seed Squire [U], Frontline Valkyrie, Laurel [U]

"I Stand and draw," Kaoru said as he stood his Units and drew. "I Ride _Maiden of Trailing Rose_."

 _Taking the place of_ Irminsul _was a beautiful young woman with violet hair tied into six curled pigtails, wearing a headdress made of pink flowers and roses, a dress made of white and green leaves, and matching gloves that reached to her upper arms. Pink flowers could be seen growing out from the bottom of her dress._ **[Maiden of Trailing Rose - 11000 Power]**

"Yes! Another fabulous Grade 3 I've never seen before!" Morikawa said excitedly. "I've gotta add this one to my deck!"

"Except that _Maiden of Trailing Rose_ is almost completely useless in a deck not using Neo Nectar units because of its ability." Misaki pointed out.

"Aww…" Morikawa sulked.

I feel no pity.

"Boosted by _Lily Knight of the Valley_ , I'll attack your Vanguard with _Iris Knight_ ," Kaoru declared as he rested the cards.

"I guard with _Magical Trickster, Pixie_ and _Keeper of Knowledge, Thoth_!" I countered.

 _Boosted by his fellow knight_ **[10000 Power + 6000 Power + 4000 Power = 20000 Power]** _,_ Iris Knight _rushed forward once more at_ Sraosha _, but his advance was cut short when the mystical baboon carrying his tome appeared alongside a small young woman, roughly the side of a person's head, wearing a blue one-piece, long blue gloves, and blue boots that reached to her thighs. Her hair was an auburn color styled in a pixie cut, while translucent white wings sprouted from her back and allowed her to stay aloft as she worked with_ Thoth _to create a barrier that repelled Iris Knight's attack._ **[11000 Power + 10000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 26000 Power]**

"Then I will boost my _Maiden of Trailing Rose_ with _Dancing Sunflower_ and attack your Vanguard," Kaoru declared, resting the two Units.

"I'll guard with _Deception Beast, Kabuso_!" I responded while placing down another Guardian.

"Checking the Twin Drive." Kaoru said.

 **[Drive Check - Caramel Popcorn - No Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Maiden of Trailing Rose - No Trigger]**

 _Spreading her arms out on either side of her as she gained support from_ Dancing Sunflower **[11000 Power + 5000 Power = 16000 Power]** _,_ Maiden of Trailing Rose _conjured up vines from the ground and sent them shooting at_ Sraosha _, however, the small white cat creature appeared, floating in the air yet lounging on its side as it created a barrier to stop the attack cold._

"Then I'll boost my _Blade Seed Squire_ with my _Pea Knight_ and attack your Vanguard," Kaoru said as he rested his final two Units.

 _Gaining power from the_ Pea Knight **[7000 Power + 6000 Power = 13000 Power]** _, the young squire dashed ahead, his arm-mounted weapons at the ready. He leapt into the air and struck downwards with his weapons, inflicting wounds upon the demonic angel._

"Damage Trigger, check."

 **[Damage Check - Heavenly King, Komokuten - No Trigger]**

"I end my turn." Kaoru concluded.

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack / Celestial Dancer, Apsaras / Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Divine Virtue, Sraosha** / Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [F], Divine Virtue, Sraosha [U], Infernal Demon, Melchom [U], Heavenly King, Komokuten [U]

 **Kaoru  
Front Row: **Iris Knight / **Maiden of Trailing Rose** / Blade Seed Squire  
 **Back Row:** Lily Knight of the Valley / Dancing Sunflower / Pea Knight  
 **Hand:** 2  
 **Damage:** Watering Elf [U], Blade Seed Squire, [U], Avatar of the Plains, Behemoth [U], Blade Seed Squire [U], Frontline Valkyrie, Laurel [U]

"Man, he's ruthless, even against a newbie…" Izaki commented.

"In cardfights, you're supposed to give everything you've got." Kurogasa said. "Holding back is practically an insult."

"I dunno. There's giving it your all, and then there's Kazuya's aggressive way of playing." Miwa pointed out. "He didn't give that Kaoru guy a single chance during his turn just now."

"I stand and draw." I began my turn. "You did well for your first try, newbie. However, I'm afraid you've come up short. I call _Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu_!"

 _Appearing in front of_ Pyro Jack _was the blue-feathered tengu, ready to do battle._ **[Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu - 8000 Power]**

"And now _Kurama Tengu_ and _Huang Long_ will Change!" I continued as my units swapped positions. "And when a Change skill is activated, I can use _Huang Long's_ Persona Blast! By discarding a copy of _Huang Long_ from my hand, I can retire _Iris Knight_ , whose Grade is less than _Huang Long's_!"

"Then that means-!" Kaoru realized.

 _Lightning began to discharge from_ Huang Long's _massive golden body, and a portion of it branched out and struck_ Iris Knight _, making him cry in pain before vanishing from the battlefield._

"Boosted by _Apsaras_ , _Sraosha_ attacks the Vanguard!" I declared.

"I… don't guard." Kaoru responded.

"Twin Drive, check." I said.

 **[Drive Check - Horseman of Famine, Black Rider - No Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Divine Virtue, Sraosha - No Trigger]**

 _Light poured forth from_ Sraosha's _wings as he flew forward at breakneck speeds_ **[11000 Power + 8000 Power = 19000 Power]** _, throwing a punch at_ Maiden of Trailing Rose _using a fist also consumed by holy light. The strike hit its mark and the maiden cried out in pain before she and the other members of the Neo Nectar vanished from the battlefield._

 **[Damage Check - Maiden of Trailing Rose - No Trigger]**

 **FINAL RESULTS**

 **Kazuya**  
 **Back Row:** Lost Soul, Pyro Jack / Celestial Dancer, Apsaras / Ice Spirit, Jack Frost  
 **Front Row:** Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu / **Divine Virtue, Sraosha** / Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Horseman of Death, Pale Rider [F], Awakened Warrior, Cu Chulainn [F], Divine Virtue, Sraosha [U], Infernal Demon, Melchom [U], Heavenly King, Komokuten [U]

 **Kaoru  
Front Row: **Iris Knight / **Maiden of Trailing Rose** / Blade Seed Squire  
 **Back Row:** Lily Knight of the Valley / Dancing Sunflower / Pea Knight  
 **Hand:** 2  
 **Damage:** Watering Elf [U], Blade Seed Squire, [U], Avatar of the Plains, Behemoth [U], Blade Seed Squire [U], Frontline Valkyrie, Laurel [U], Maiden of Trailing Rose

"Well that's that." Kurogasa said.

"But still, he did pretty good for his first cardfight." Aichi added.

"It was certainly an experience," Kaoru said and lightly bowed his head to me. "Thank you very much for teaching me."

"Yeah, sure." I said dismissively. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned my head to see Louisa.

"So, what about him?" she asked. "Would he make a good member for your team?"

' _Him? Well…'_ I trailed off. _'He's still a newbie and he needs to refine his skills, but his deck seems to work very well for him...'_ I sighed and looked to see Kaoru was already saying goodbye to the others and heading for the door. "Hey, you."

"Hm?" Kaoru responded as he turned back to me. "Did you need something?"

"How would you like to join my team?" I asked him.

"Team?" Kaoru repeated, tilting his head slightly. "For what?"

"I'm aiming to compete in the next Regional Tournament, and I need a team of three to enter." I explained. "I think with what you demonstrated to me today, you're the kind of fighter I'm looking for. What do you say?"

"Are you sure? You know I've only just started. Would I even be ready in time?" Kaoru asked.

"I'll run you through the ropes up until the event." I told him. "I think you've got the potential to be pretty good. All that's left is pushing that potential out."

Kaoru shuffled a little in place, looking a little nervous before focusing his attention on me and gave a slight nod, "O-Okay, if you think I'll be of help, I'll gladly join your team."

"Good." I nodded. "So then, are you in school at all? What's your schedule like?"

"I'm out of school, actually. And…" Kaoru paused for a moment, fidgeting with his fingers. "I um… I guess I'm what you'd call a hikikomori… I really only leave my house if something seems interesting enough to me…"

"I see." I replied. "In that case, training starts tomorrow afternoon. Here. Don't be late."

"O-Okay," Kaoru responded without hesitation.

"I'll see you then." I added before Kaoru smiled and walked out of the shop. With that, I gathered up my cards and sat back down at the table I'd been at before, folding my arms lazily behind my head.

"Well that's one down. One more to go." Louisa spoke up.

' _Yeah.'_ I said dismissively. _'Truth be told, I'm surprised he has that much skill for a total newbie. He knew what he was doing, he just needs to be more sure of himself.'_

"Will he really be ready before the tournament?"

' _Only time will tell,'_ I replied in my thoughts. _'Now if you'll kindly be quiet, I need to think.'_ After that, I closed my eyes and relaxed in the chair in order to think ahead about the next few days.

* * *

Divine Virtue, Sraosha  
Grade 3  
Normal Unit  
Nation - Dark Zone / Clan - Megaten  
Race - Angel  
Power - 11000  
 **[AUTO] (VC): [Counter Charge (2) & Choose a card named "Divine Virtue, Sraosha" from your hand, and discard it] **When this unit's attack hits a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw two cards, choose one of your «Megaten» rear-guards, and stand it.

 _ **(The above card was created by me and was based from the Megami Tensei franchise. All rights go to me.)**_


	7. Let's Survive

**Cardfight Megami Tensei**

 **Grade 6**

 **Let's Survive**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard or the Megami Tensei franchise. All creative rights go to their respective owners, Bushiroad and Atlus. I do however, own the Megaten clan and my OC's Kazuya Minegishi, Daichi Shijima, and Louisa Ferre. Fenikkusumaru owns his OC Kurogasa Kururugi and the Courier Saints clan, while The Azure Guardian owns his OC, Kaoru Ichinose.**_

* * *

"Boosted by _Apsaras_ , _Pale Rider_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"I guard with _Chestnut Bullet_! And… I Intercept with _Gene_!"

"Twin Drive, check!" I declared as I flipped over my top two cards, smirking as one of them revealed a yellow icon. "That's one Critical Trigger for me, and both effects go to _Yoshitsune_! And now boosted by _Jack-o-Lantern_ , _Yoshitsune_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"Ah… I don't guard. Damage check." Kaoru shook his head as his last damage fell in, revealing no triggers. That marked the third fight we'd had this afternoon.

"Not bad." I told my new teammate. "In fact, you're getting better. However…"

"However?" Kaoru repeated. I reached over and fanned out the cards in Kaoru's Drop Zone.

"You still need a little work when it comes to guarding." I explained. "See, you were guarding my attacks every chance you got, so you ended up running low on cards, especially towards the end."

"I see. Do you have any advice perhaps?" Kaoru asked, tilting his head to the side.

In response I picked up a few of the cards in the Drop Zone that Kaoru had used to guard earlier in the game and showed them to him. I also started gesturing to my cards as I began my explanation. "A general practice for guarding would be to stop what I call 'pokes', or basically the low-powered attacks that generally only deal one damage; also, take the high-power attacks and don't bother with guarding them all the time."

"Why is that?"

"Because those attacks usually come from the Vanguard and are much harder to guard, and not to mention it eats up precious hand resources." I explained. "Let's set up a little scenario here…" I handed Kaoru some of his discarded cards before gesturing to my formation. "So pretend that I have a formation set up for three powerful attacks, like this. I have two Rearguard attacks of 16000 Power each and a Vanguard attack that clocks in at 36000; all of these attacks only boast one Critical each. The Rearguard attacks can easily be blocked with minimal Shields, so you'd be fine blocking those; however, that Vanguard attack is way too strong for you to gamble on tossing out your hand, so it's in your best interest to just take that one. Regardless of the massive Power level, one damage is one damage."

"I see…" Kaoru replied in surprise. "I didn't realize that there was so much to this."

"Also!" I added. "You should _always_ take damage before you commit to guarding. Never guard when you're below the three damage threshold. Unless you're in an _incredibly_ bizarre situation, you won't lose while you're at such an early point. And then most importantly, understand your opponent's units and what they're capable of before committing to your defense. This will let you know just how much to commit before push comes to shove."

"Thank you for the advice. I'll be sure to make use of it." Kaoru bowed politely.

"Man, you sure know your stuff." Kamui commented, having been watching the cardfight with the other members of Aichi's team. "Even I've never really thought that deeply about it before."

"Hmph." Broody-Faced Kai scoffed over in the corner.

"Eh? Well, I guess." I just shrugged off the comments and turned my attention elsewhere in my thoughts. It had occurred to me over the past few days while training Kaoru, but…

I've run out of strong opponents here in this shop. I have Aichi's team, sure, but I'm forcing myself to not fight them for the time being. Mostly because Misaki already has a grasp on my deck, and that's all the advantage I _want_ to allow them. Kaoru is still learning, so he won't be a threat any time soon up until the tournament itself. And then everyone else is just too weak for me to get any real challenge out of them.

In short, I need to find stronger opponents to get stronger myself.

With this in mind, I made the impromptu decision to gather up my cards and walk towards the entrance, a single destination already in mind.

"Kazuya, where are you going?" Kaoru asked.

"I just remembered I have to be somewhere." I lied. "We'll continue this tomorrow the same time. Got it?"

"O-Oh, yes!" Kaoru quickly nodded. "And again, thank you." I inclined my head to him before walking through the double doors and out onto the streets of the city.

* * *

"Okay, so remind me why we're here again?"

I strode into a mall downtown as Louisa asked me that question. I kept looking ahead, not once even so much as glancing back at her. Instead, I sighed out loud, making it seem as though I were sighing to myself.

' _Because,'_ I answered with my thoughts. _'There's some people I need to see. I'm sure you remember those girls we met after you dropped me here.'_

"Yeah. What about them?"

' _They should be able to help me sharpen my skills for the upcoming tournament.'_ I replied. _'I have to get as much practice in as I can, and sticking around Card Capital the whole time won't get me anywhere.'_

"I see. Makes sense." Louisa nodded.

' _And then there's something else…'_

"Hm?"

' _...Back then, they saw you.'_ I told her.

"!" Her eyes widened in realization. "You're right… So then you think they know something?"

' _That remains to be seen...'_ I reasoned. _'Given their involvement in events to come, I have no doubts that there's something more going on here due to my interference.'_ It wasn't long before I'd rounded a corner and saw a small, dark corridor up ahead that seemed familiar. _'Looks like we made it.'_

And so, we walked down into the corridor, soon finding the doors to Card Shop PSY waiting in front of us. Walking inside, I was greeted with a familiar room that was filled with odd-looking display units for Vanguard cards. "Hello?" I called out in hopes of grabbing someone's attention.

Silence. "Anyone?"

Once again, silence. And by now I was just getting irritated. "Okay I know you're here, so just come out already!" I said more loudly than before.

"Welcome to Card Shop PSY," I heard someone greet towards the back. I saw the three girls from before step out from behind the curtained-off area on the far side of the room. Going by the voice, it was Suiko that had spoken. "Ah, it's you. Welcome back. Let's see… Kazuya, right?"

"What's up?" Rekka's chipper voice asked me.

"I'm competing in the next Regional Tournament, and I need to get as strong as I can be before then." I explained. "So to do that, I'd like you three to cardfight me. So far you're the best challenge I can get around here."

"Well aren't you forward?" Suiko commented jokingly and smiled. "Well then, if it's a fight you came looking for, then we'd be glad to give it to you. We're not ones to turn down a challenge." Her sisters nodded in agreement.

"So which one of you will fight first? I don't care who though." I got straight to the point.

"I'll be first."

I turned to see Kourin had responded and was now stepping forward.

"We can get this out of the way since we've already fought before. And I can get some payback for our match the other day." she showed a hint of a smirk.

"Hmph. Fine by me." I responded. The four of us wordlessly migrated to the back where the Motion Figure System still stood proudly. Kourin and I each took our spots on either side of the machine and prepped ourselves.

Or at least, that's what I thought was going to happen.

But just then, I felt the whole room rumble softly. I took my eyes away from the playing field and looked around in confusion.

' _What was that? An earthquake? No, that was just one tremor...'_

Then there was a second rumble, and it felt slightly stronger than the first one. This time the girls started darting their eyes around the area, likely noticing it now too.

' _What's going on here? What are these tremors all about? Wait… Is it just me or are they getting closer?'_ I wondered to myself. While my head was trying to put all this together, I saw the girls share a look. It wasn't even ten seconds later when they all suddenly bolted out of the room, leaving me behind. Just then, Kourin turned back around to look at me.

"Hey! You should get going too!" she called back before turning around and chasing after her sisters, leaving me and Louisa totally alone in the shop.

"Kazuya…" Louisa suddenly spoke up. "I have a bad feeling about this. Something isn't right." I just nodded to her and took off out of the back room myself. Whatever the hell is causing these tremors is on the move, and it's headed this way to boot. I have no intentions of staying behind to find out what it is either. I ran out of the shop and into the alley just as a stronger tremor rocked the entire building, accompanied by what sounded like people screaming. I had to quickly steady myself on the wall to keep from falling over, and once I felt it was safe I kept going until I'd come out into the main part of the mall.

"Dammit! What the hell is going on?" I grunted. "Louisa, do you-" I looked over at the demoness to find she had this distant look in her eyes. "Louisa? Earth to Louisa! Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"What's…?" she muttered. "This doesn't feel like normal energy… What _is_ this-? Kazuya, look out!"

I didn't have time to ask her what she was talking about, because the next thing I knew, I was throwing myself to the side to dodge something small and reddish crashing through the glass display of one of the nearby stores. I threw my hands up to my face to protect it from the flying shards, and when I uncovered it again, I was again forced to roll to the side to dodge something lunging at me.

I managed to get to my feet just in time to see a small shape now charging towards me again, but this time I was ready. I quickly got into a stance and waited for just the right moment; once the small thing was close enough, and right as it looked like it was about to attack, I let out a brief yell and slammed my foot into its face with a powerful side kick. I heard a strange noise coming from whatever it was I just hit and then I heard a thud. I looked forward down my leg, still being held in the air, only to see the small thing now laying on the ground a few feet away, totally motionless.

Okay, I have one very simple question here...

What. The _fuck_. Just _happened_.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down a little and relaxed my stance. I cautiously walked towards the now unconscious… thing, half expecting it to jump up again and attack me. However as I got closer, that6 possibility was looking a little slimmer; but that's not all, when I had gotten closer to it, I was able to see what it looked like more clearly. And what I found made my blood run cold for half a second.

Lying on the ground in front of me was a small creature with reddish-orange skin that, while it looked humanoid, was clearly not so because of the glaringly obvious four-fingered hands and two-toed feet. It had reddish-brown hair styled in a sort of bowl cut on top and tied into an outrageously long braid in the back, with a pair of tiny red horns peeking out at the top of its head. Possibly the most notable feature of the creature was the sucker-like spots on its chest, arms, and fingertips. I took a quick look and found that it really was just unconscious, not dead.

To most people this would be some sort of freak of nature or a monster. I know what this thing really is. And the implications of this had my head spinning.

"Obariyon: Jaki race." I recited out loud. "What the hell…?"

"Kazuya?"

OH, RIGHT! YOU!

I immediately whipped around and grabbed Louisa roughly by the shoulders. The alarm in her eyes was plain as day but right now I didn't give a damn. I needed answers.

"Now you listen here and you listen well." I told her while pointing to the Obariyon I knocked out. "What the _hell_ is going on here? Why are there demons here? And why are they attacking a shopping mall?"

"Well part of that question is easy to answer." Louisa replied. "Demons have always existed here, but…"

"'But' _what_? What aren't you telling me?"

"Well that's just it… I'm just as confused as you are." she said. "Normally you don't see demons like Obariyon going around and attacking people; they're really not hostile at all if you don't make them angry. Something happened to _make_ it go wild like that."

"'Something'?" I prodded.

"I have no idea what could have done it," the demoness answered. "But I've been getting this weird feeling ever since we left the store, like there's some sort of abnormal energy coming from nearby." I watched as she pointed down one path going through the mall. It took me a minute to realize it, but when it hit me I couldn't help but sigh.

"So in other words we have to get by whatever's making these demons run wild if we want to leave." she nodded at me. "Oh, that's just _lovely_." I let go of her and looked over towards where we needed to go. Motioning over my shoulder for her to follow, I started off down that way, hearing the clack of Louisa's boots hitting the floor as she hurried to catch up.

"So how did you do that back there? Against the Obariyon, I mean." I heard her ask. Assuming she meant how I knocked the demon out cold, I gave my answer.

"I spent most of middle school taking Tae Kwon Do," I answered. "I had some… emotions I wanted to try channeling into something. I never finished, but at least I'm a competent enough fighter that I can defend myself." Louisa nodded in understanding.

"I see, that's good. You'll need to if we want to get out of here alive." Louisa noted.

"Other than that, I'm just a regular old human." I shrugged.

"Right…" I heard her say. There was something about the tone of her voice just now that seemed odd, but I didn't bother questioning it. It wasn't likely to get me anywhere. It took us a few minutes, and even more time to sneak past the demons that were festering around the mall, but we finally managed to get close to the front of the building. Just then, I felt another small tremor nearby, and the sound of someone grunting. Looking to Louisa for a split second, I dashed off towards the entrance, only to be met with the sight of what equates to a battlefield.

Scattered about the small foyer-like area just inside the entrance were three figures, teenagers it looked like, each one being accompanied by some sort of demon at their side, which I recognized as Megami Sarasvati, Femme Lilim, and Touki Gozuki.

One of the teens, the one fighting with the Lilim, was a short girl with shoulder-length auburn hair, kept back by a floral bandana, and brown eyes. She wore a blue and white striped bra under a backless pink shirt, with long pink strings on the back, front, and bottom, a blue mini skirt, black thigh high socks and pink sandals.

With her was a tall boy with brown eyes and short black hair, under a white cap with a black clip. He was dressed in a blue hoodie, gray pants, and brown shoes. He also had a white wristwatch on his left arm and a blue wristband on his right. He was the one who seemed to be giving orders to the Sarasvati.

And then next to him was a slightly taller boy, maybe a couple of years older too, with spiked back dark pink hair, matching eyes and sharp features. He was wearing a black tracksuit, with strips of blue lining the jacket's collar and arms, and black shoes. He was the one commanding the Gozuki, and he had a wild, almost feral look to him as he did so.

Standing opposite to them all and basically guarding the entrance was another demon I recognized; a purple-skinned humanoid with red eyes, pointed ears, a gray beard, black horns, and your stereotypical thin demon tail with a small arrowhead point at the tip. The demon wore nothing but studded yellow kid gloves and studded yellow socks that did nothing to cover up the clawed toes on his feet.

But you wanna know the best part about this one?

He's just casually sitting on a toilet.

Wait…

"Louisa, is that the one you were talking about?" I asked the demoness. "The demon that's been making other demons act all aggro?"

She focused for a brief second on the demon I pointed to and then gave me a quick nod. "Yeah, that's him." she replied.

"So, it's Vile Belphegor…" I mused. I saw Louisa shake her head just out of the corner of my eye.

"That's not a Vile demon." she told me.

The shit? "What is it then? Fallen? Tyrant?" I questioned. I tried to think of what other races Belphegor had appeared under throughout the _Megami Tensei_ games, but my guesses were all met with negative confirmation from the demoness. "Then what _is_ he?"

"I can't tell." was all she said.

"What?"

"I'm not kidding. I can't figure out what his race is at all. But there's definitely something different about this one."

As we were talking out of earshot of the combatants, I watched as the guy in the tracksuit commanded his Gozuki to charge forward and deliver some quick attacks to Belphegor, but the other demon countered by swatting away Gozuki's strikes before headbutting it and sending the Yoma flying back into the wall. As soon as it collided though, it seemed to dissolve into greenish data that vanished into the air.

"Ugh, great! That was definitely not what I needed right now." the taller boy groaned as he glanced at something on his phone as soon as Gozuki had vanished- Oh… I get it. That makes a lot of sense, actually.

"They're all Devil Summoners," I mused out loud.

"What?"

"Wait, you seriously don't know?" I asked the demoness. "They're humans with the ability to summon demons, usually through a special Demon Summoning Program. See their phones? It's likely they have something like that on them that lets them summon demons to fight."

"Ah, I see." Louisa nodded.

"Wait, who the hell are you?"

I blinked when I heard the sudden voice and turned back to where the three were still fighting. Mr. Tracksuit had turned his back on the battle and was looking right at the two of us. I guess we weren't as quiet as I thought.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned me. "It's dangerous, you should run while you still can."

"Sorry, but I'm just unlucky that way." I shrugged. "Plus, Belphegor is blocking my only way out."

"Wait, how do you know-"

"I know a lot of things." I cut him off. "I know you three are Devil Summoners, I know about Belphegor, and I know he isn't normal."

"Then can you help us?" he asked. "You're a Summoner too, right?"

"No can do." I shook my head. "I'm no Summoner, I'm just a regular guy who happens to have knowledge on demons."

"Well in that case, it's time for you to put that knowledge to use." the tall one added. "I can give you the program."

Wut?

"Wait, how?" I questioned.

"Our Demon Summoning App comes with a function that lets us send copies of it to other people," he explained as he started fiddling with the phone. "I just need your email address." Still not really getting the situation but not caring at the moment, I took out my phone and quickly sent him a blank email once he'd given me some contact info. "Alright, I got it!" And with that, he fiddled a bit more while his buddies kept fighting; a few seconds later I got an email from him that only contained some sort of download link.

"Okay, I got it." I notified him.

"Good. use that to start the download and then just wait. We'll keep going until you're ready!" Mr. Tracksuit explained quickly before he jumped back into the fight, pressing a few buttons on his phone again. "Kobold!" And then suddenly, in a pillar of greenish light, a new demon emerged to fight with the group. This one was a very tall, muscular wolf man donning holden chest armor, as well as matching arm guards and shin guards. A thin leather belt was fastened around his waist and a thick green scarf was wrapped around him just below that, acting as a sort of loincloth. In his right hand the wolfman wielded a long silver weapon not dissimilar to a club, but much more cylindrical in shape.

I watched as the Kobold charged ahead and joined the demons of the other two in assaulting Belphegor. Then after a second I glanced down at my phone to see the progress of the download. The screen read '15%', and a progress bar at the bottom reflected that percentage. At this point, I was left with no choice but to be a sitting duck while I wait.

I kept watching as the trio and their demons kept attacking, but Belphegor seemed to be putting up a decent fight and wasn't going down that easily. Every now and then I'd glance down at my phone to check the progress again, and it seemed to be going at a steady pace. It was already past fifty percent after just a couple of minutes.

"How's it going back there?!" the tallest guy asked as he also issued orders to Kobold. I glanced down at my screen again.

"It just hit sixty percent!" I replied. "Think you can hold out a little longer?"

"Hell yeah!" he nodded. Just then, I heard a low, dark chuckle coming from Belphegor.

" **No matter what you do, it's fruitless."** he said evenly as his eyes began to glow with a sickly purple light. **"Mana Pressure…"** And then, before I was able to figure out what he was doing, a weird-looking wave of dark power seemed to surge out from his body and wash over the other demons present. Almost immediately they all started moving sluggishly like they'd suddenly gotten fatigued. Kobold seemed to be the most well off out of the three of them, but even he looked like he was starting to tire out.

"What's going on?" the girl questioned no one in particular.

"What? Sarasvati's mana levels are…" the guy in the hoodie trailed off as he looked at his phone.

"And Lilim..." the girl added as she too looked at her phone.

' _What's going on?'_ I wondered. I checked the phone again; still roughly twenty-five percent to go. _'How is a demon like Belphegor so strong? And what was that skill just now? I've never heard of it...'_

" **Power Hit…"** Belphegor bellowed. Just then, he shot forward while still on his toilet, ramming and headbutting Kobold in succession. I was about to ask if Louisa could get a better reading, when…

"Look out!"

"Wha-?"I turned at the sound of the girl's voice, only to see Kobold flying towards me at breakneck speeds. I didn't have even a fraction of a second to react as the canine demon slammed into me, sending me flying back with him into something that felt very solid. I couldn't really figure out what it was though. I was too busy struggling not to pass out from the feeling of something - or I guess _everything_ inside of me getting smashed and the unbearable pain that followed.

I… I…

Dammit...

* * *

 _Where... Am I…?_

 _I opened my eyes to find myself standing on a rocky pathway. I took a look around me, noting that the sky above me was blood red, and the only thing ahead of me was some sort of pillar of sickly light. It was also the only true source of light around here, making everything else appear dimly lit at best._

 _Where the hell is everything? Am I… dead? For that matter, is this Hell?_

" _Damn…" I sighed to myself. "Dead before I can even do anything…" I looked towards the pillar of light, just shrugging. "Well, I guess that's where I'm headed. Not like I have much of a choice." And with that, left with no options, I started walking down the rocky path towards that light, noting how sluggish and heavy my body felt as I walked, making it seem like I wasn't moving much with each step._

" _ **Wait just one moment…"**_

" _Huh…?"_

 _I blinked, turning around as I heard the voice that sounded bizarrely similar to mine. Standing a few feet away was a tall figure, his appearance distorted by some sort of dark aura around him, but I was able to tell that he was wearing some sort of armor and carrying a large sword, the type of which I couldn't tell through the darkness._

 _Who the hell…?_

 _ **"What's the matter...? Are you just going to roll over and die?"**_ _the figure asked me._ _ **"Will you simply forsake them? Death awaits the lot of them if you do nothing…"**_

" _Tch, like I care." I replied. "I don't even know them anyways."_

" _ **And the girl?"**_ _he countered._ _ **"Will you forsake her too?"**_

 _I guess by 'girl', he means Louisa… While I don't have any real attachment to her either, I guess I do owe her... "Even if I wanted to help her, what the hell can I do if I'm dead? And even then, I don't have any power of my own."_

" _ **I can grant your life, boy."**_ _the figure replied._ _ **"As for power, I will also lend you my strength. Doing so will require us to form a contract."**_

" _I see…" I said. I clenched my fist as I thought it over. "While it's true that living was shitty already, I don't have any plans of dying yet either. I intend to make something out of my shitty life before I kick the bucket. Alright… I'll form that contract of yours! I want power so I can at least fight!"_

" _ **Very well… I have heeded your desires."**_ _the figure seemed to nod._ _ **"From this day forth, we are to fight as one! Now then, invoke thy rage! Show to me thy will of rebellion, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"**_

 _And then, suddenly, as the figure raised their sword, a blinding light filled the area, and I lost my vision for a few seconds..._

* * *

...When I could see again, I was back in the mall, lying on my ass and staring up at the skylight. I started with a gasp as my senses came back to me fully. My whole body ached like hell as I went to stand up, but I could still move at least. I rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself up that way, barely managing to stay on my feet.

"Holy shit…" I heard the older teen say under his breath. "He's still alive, even after _that_?"

"Kazuya!" I heard someone call my name, and turning my head I saw Louisa was rushing at me. "Kazuya, are you alright?"

"Uh… Yeah, I'm fine…" I answered halfheartedly, looking around for my phone, which I guess I dropped when I got crushed before. I found it lying on the ground closeby and picked it up, looking at the screen and seeing the download had finished while I was dead. The screen was blank, except for a single sentence that flashed on for only a few moments.

" _Peaceful days have died - let's survive."_

Moments later, a menu for the application popped up; thinking quickly, I pressed the big 'Summon' button at the bottom and watched as some sort of big glowing circle or glyph appeared in front of me. However, I also suddenly felt my head spinning, and my vision starting to blur, almost like I was losing consciousness, when…

* * *

 _ **(BGM - "Byakko" - Devil Survivor 2: The Animation Original Soundtrack Volume 2)**_

Kazuya suddenly clutched his head as if he were in pain, but it seemed to pass after a second. But as he drew his hand away and he regained himself, to the others, something seemed different about the young man from just a moment ago. He seemed a lot more distant, more cold. Almost like nothing else mattered other than what he was about to do - take down the enemy in front of him.

Then, the summoning circle in front of him erupted with some sort of intense power, the likes of which the three Summoners had never felt before. As power surged forth from the circle, even Belphegor seemed to be on edge, watching as a new figure materialized in front of Kazuya.

Floating there silently was a tall and lean male figure clad in bluish green armor over a grayish purple shirt and matching baggy pants. His hands were covered in sleek gauntlets the same color as his armor, while armor also protected his legs from the knees down; the strange thing though was that the figure didn't have any feet, rather his legs simply ended in points created by his armor, making his legs almost seem like blades. The figure's face was covered by a bluish green mask, while dark purple hair with red patches flew out behind him, and in his hand he carried a large bastard sword with a golden hilt and silver blade.

Without a word, the armored figure rushed forward, blowing past the other Summoners' demons and charging straight for Belphegor. He gripped his sword tightly and swung once he was in a good range, but Belphegor, still riding on his toilet, simply dodged backwards to avoid the swing.

However, the armored figure wasn't letting up, and he simply continued to lunge forward and attack in a somewhat manic way, yet despite the wildness of his attacks, there seemed to be an odd finesse to them too underneath that. Finally, he managed to get one good hit in on the demon, nicking him in the shoulder just as Belphegor was going to dodge again. The toilet-mounted demon simply grunted and rushed forward, intending to headbutt the swordsman, but the latter simply blocked the attack with the flat of his sword and pushed back with all his might, sending Belphegor back into a more comfortable range.

"That's it…" Kazuya said, a strange expression on his face as he stood back and watched the fight between the two, not even having to issue orders to the swordsman. "Kill him, fight to your heart's content, rip and tear him apart until your soul is satisfied! Do it, Abel!"

"Wait, did he say Abel?" the redhead wondered out loud.

"As in the first murder victim?" her dark-haired friend asked. "What's a demon like that doing here?"

"More importantly, I didn't even know a demon like that existed…" the older one added.

Everyone watched in surprise as the swordsman, Abel, seemed to start getting faster as he kept trying to attack Belphegor with everything he had. It was clear that the other demon was starting to have trouble avoiding his opponent consistently, and was starting to take many more grazing hits over time.

" **This is ridiculous!"** Belphegor bellowed in anger as he felt Abel's sword graze him again. His eyes lit up with a sickly light in response. **"Mana Pressure!"** Just then, another wave of force seemed to sweep out from the purple-skinned demon's form, but even as it passed over Abel, he seemed to be unfazed by it, leaving Belphegor to look in shock as the swordsman got one good hit in, running his large sword through the other demon's shoulder even as he tried to evade again.

He roared in pain as the swordsman drew his blade back forcefully, still reeling from the pain, he noticed a little too late as Abel thrust his sword forward again, this time managing to run him through his midsection, making his opponent roar in pain again. The demon swordsman roughly drew his sword back again, causing ichor to fly and spurt out from the gaping wound left in Belphegor's stomach, while more poured out from the wound in his shoulder.

Kazuya watched quietly, smiling in an odd way at seeing the purple-skinned demon in such agony, unable to fight back with how severe his wounds were. He turned to Abel and spoke only a few words, but they were all that were needed.

"Finish him."

In response, the demon swordsman's eyes flashed with a red light behind his mask as he charged forward once more, his sword poised for one final swing. Andt with Belphegor unable to fight back…

...He struck quick and true, a single swing of his blade all that was required to cleave the other demon's head clean off, said demon's face in his last moments being one of pure shock. The severed head fell to the floor with a thud as ichor spurted out from the place where its head used to be, and within seconds of being beheaded, Belphegor's body fell forward and hit the ground with another thud, the toilet he once mounted simply disintegrating into nothing.

Kazuya silently watched with satisfaction as his former enemy dissolved into a pool of black ichor, and soon enough that seemed to vanish too. But as it did, the cardfighter threw his hand to his head as pain flashed through it, and before anyone could ask if he was alright, he found himself falling to the floor as darkness rose up to pull him down.

* * *

 _ **Welp, this was a long time coming. And I do mean a**_ **seriously** _ **long time coming. Now I can finally start getting things kicked off the right way in this story. There's still gonna be some of the old plot going on, naturally, but this is the point where things really get going. Well in any case, I finally got this updated, so celebrations are in order. And while I go pat myself on the back for finally doing something, I hope you all will stay tuned for the next chapter and the chapters to come! Don't forget to follow/favorite, and write reviews. I'm always up for the feedback.**_

 _ **Cheers, mates.**_

* * *

 **Preview:**

 _Louisa: A young man's quest for power has now taken a new and unexpected turn… Even so, he must continue his search to form a team. Time is of the essence._

 _Daichi: You want to fight me? Really? Alright, let's go!_

 _Kazuya: Well if it's a show of strength you want, then I'm happy to give it to you._

 _Kazuya: Next time on Cardfight Megami Tensei:_ _ **"Daichi Shijima!"**_ _Stand up, my Vanguard!_


End file.
